Jagged Edge
by PearLynn
Summary: He thought it was over, he thought he was safe. But when the Xi Lang return stronger than ever to take out Zuko and his friends, they all must get past their inner demons and outer conflicts to save the world from chaos. Zutara. Minor conflicting Sukka/Sokkla/Tokka and subtle Maiko and Kataang. Part 2 of 2, sequel to Against All Odds.
1. Stalked Shadows

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender._

 ** _A/N_** _Oh hello. Welcome back to the universe of **Against All Odds.**_ _If you haven't read that yet, you will be completely confused. Trust me. So go read it if you haven't yet._

 _You good? Cool beans, let's continue._

 _I'm going to say right now that I used the same name for Mai's father that was used in **His Majesty Prefers Blue.** Permission was granted by  shamelessliar herself! I am aware that his name was revealed in **Smoke and Shadows** , but I have deviated from the canon after **The Search.** And also only this chapter was written before that came out. Plus I hate his canon name, so there's that._

* * *

 **Chapter One: Stalked Shadows**

* * *

Ever since the war ended, it seemed that the moon would shine a little brighter. Something about it appeared to illuminate everything with so much more strength, as if the spirit of the Moon itself had been renewed along with the rest of the world. It was eerie in a way, making the human world so much more connected to the Spirit World. Not to mention it felt as if there was a pair of keen eyes always watching one's every single move. Nothing else is as unnerving as the thought of the moon's brightness lighting up the world just to watch it more closely.

Such brightness allowed Takeshi to see his business partner reveal himself from out of the shadows of the alleyway, hood drawn and shoulders alert.

"Lord Bau Li," Takeshi murmured lowly. The man turned to his direction- his otherwise quiet voice slicing through the silence of the night- and scuttled over and into the portico where he had been sitting. He sat across from Takeshi at the table, lowered his hood and folded his hands on the table, disappointment rolling off of him in waves.

"You're a hard person to find, boy," Bau Li hissed with a frown, one so deep it made his wrinkles look like canyons in his skin. "I was scouring all of the lower ring to find the location you gave me. Do you even know how difficult it was for me to get into this city?! Thankfully the Earth King has been a little more lax since the war ended or I would have been caught."

Still cloaked in the shadows, Takeshi removed his hood and smoothed back his bangs, then glared at the older man. "Consider yourself lucky that I even agreed to meet with you. Your extreme willingness to support my cause was the only reason I even considered speaking with you in the first place."

Bau Li sneered deeper, causing his grey beard to bunch up. "Watch your tongue, child. Without me and my men, your little _plan_ won't even work."

Sharp green eyes glinted with malice, and Takeshi's mouth pulled into a matching frown. "Do remember without _me_ , your little _club_ wouldn't be more than a group of washed up old men merely wishing instead of doing. You and I have coinciding interests, and for the time being your people and mine will be working together to reach our goal. Any issues you have with me or my men can just be pushed aside for now so we can finish this."

Bau Li crossed his arms, practically pouting when he replied, "Fine. What exactly did you want to talk about that couldn't have been discussed with our usual correspondence?"

Takeshi pulled out a sheet of parchment from inside his robes, placed it on the table and pushed it towards Bau Li. When the lord picked it up and scanned the contents, Takeshi began, "According to my sources-"

"Who may or may not be reliable," Bau Li chided under his breath, eyes not leaving the paper.

Takeshi glared at the older man while he repeated, "According to my sources, Avatar Aang left the Fire Nation capital two days ago. We suspect he will return to Yu Dao for his acolytes, considering the nature of his departure from the palace. The reason I could not tell you this in my last letter was there has been reports of mail being intercepted since our last attempt to dispose of the Fire Lord. We need to ensure complete secrecy with our next move."

"And what _is_ the status of that whelp?" Bau Li responded, setting down the paper and looking Takeshi in the eye.

"Recovering," he replied. "He has returned to the throne and met with his High Council as recently as his second day in the city. Though, he apparently still cannot bend. Yura's suppressants did their job well."

Bau Li clicked his tongue. "Yet he was foolish enough to get caught."

Takeshi sighed and rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb. "A mistake that won't be made again. Yura was one of my best men, but he wasn't the brightest. He let his arrogance get the best of him which led to his battery's downfall. Yura had been instructed to say certain things and act a certain way from the beginning, helping us hide the true nature of our organization. To the outside, we are mercenaries for hire that have a grudge against the Fire Nation. However, we all truly know what we are, and in order to keep the truth within our ranks the only survivors of the attack had to be extinguished from the order. Now we have to start all over."

"But the Fire Lord's lack of bending is an added advantage," Bau Li stated, grinning mercilessly. "The only problem is now the Avatar and the waterbender. Their existence will foil everything we have worked for."

"And once they've been taken out," Takeshi added as if he was talking to a child, "we can work on the metalbender and the Water Tribe warrior. After that the entire Fire Nation Royal Family will be extinguished, minus Ozai. The Kyoshi Warriors will need to be taken care of, as well, in order for that part to succeed."

"My men will handle that," Bau Li supplied while flippantly waving his hand. "For now, we will work on the first phase. Once the first three are taken out, the others will fall soon after without issue."

Takeshi nodded, then leaned back a little in his chair. "And what of your daughter? Has she considered your offer to help us?"

Bau Li scowled again. "She hasn't spoken to me since that incident I spoke of a few years ago. Even with my attempts at contact, she refuses to associate herself with me now. Unfortunately, her closeness with the Fire Lord can't be used to our advantage."

"Though she's not as close with him as she had been in the past," Takeshi noted, watching as Bau Li shifted uncomfortably in his spot. "According to my sources, he appears to be quite smitten with the waterbender. There's not much your daughter could do if his affections lied elsewhere."

With a scoff, Bau Li looked away and crossed his arms. "That won't be an issue once our plan has been completed. The whelp will soon be dead, so will the whore. And once the Avatar is taken out, you will have your chaos."

Takeshi was pleased with Bau Li's dedication and couldn't stop himself from grinning broadly. Their success rode solely on their manpower and pure timing. Having Bau Li on his side helped immensely, especially after the waterbending master's display of power in Yura's home. Fortunately she will be destroyed along with her precious Fire Lord, and Bau Li was just the man to assist him with that goal.

"Fantastic." He straightened up in his seat, pulling out another scroll from his robe. Once he handed it over to Bau Li, he leaned back and watched the lord carefully through his bangs. "Now your job is to take this to my men under your command. The Xi Lang will be prepared for what is outlined in here. They will understand what I have written."

Bau Li took the scroll, tucked it into the sash around his waist, then stood and pulled his hood over his eyes, disdain oozing from his voice as he asked, "When shall I expect to hear from you before the plan starts?"

"After Hayato reports to me of Avatar Aang's movements," Takeshi replied, standing as well. "Once the Avatar is in place, Hayato will give you the word. Inside the second scroll are the instructions for the person who will be pulling off the attack. Once that is done, I will do my part of the plan. Hopefully afterwards we can speak of the next phase."

Bau Li's bushy eyebrow arched. "And if we cannot?"

Takeshi pulled on his hood. "I have many men willing to take up the mantle if either you or myself are no longer able. The Xi Lang are more intricate and deep than you realize, old man. Just because I am so young doesn't mean the rest of the order is. Do well to remember that."

With a glare, Bau Li began walking away without a goodbye. Takeshi smiled again and cleared his throat before calling out mockingly, "Oh, milord?"

Bau Li turned around, fury in his eyes at the casual disrespect Takeshi was throwing in his direction. The leader of the Xi Lang stared down his accomplice, taking a slow step forward into the moonlight. As soon as his face was lit, he saw Bau Li stiffen and avert his eyes from Takeshi's face.

"Don't forget your end of the bargain," he said, tone now menacing and full of warning. "You don't hold up your end, and I will personally be the one to deliver you to the Spirit World."

Without waiting for Bau Li's response, Takeshi turned on his heel and went back inside to his temporary home. He needed to get some rest, for tomorrow he was heading towards the colonies.

* * *

He woke up drenched in a cold sweat, body shaking and heart thrumming fast enough that it sounded like a buzzard wasp. His eyes searched his room, shrouded in darkness, as he tried his best to calm his heavy breathing and his racing thoughts.

 _It's not real._

 _It's not real._

 _It's not real._

He chanted that in his head, like he had every night for the past month. His body was healed for the most part, but his mind was not. Nothing could wipe out the things he had seen, or felt. The scars were there and sealed, but they stung like they were fresh all over again. The purple line on his chest seemed to glare up at him, pulsating along with the beat of his heart.

Zuko exhaled heavily, running his hands over his face and through his hair. It had been the same dream as before, nothing changing except how he was dying right before he woke. The sky was still black but Zuko knew he wouldn't go back to sleep. It was like this every single night, and every single night he would barely get any sleep. He was exhausted, worn down, and ready to give up. It felt like something he wouldn't be able to get past, despite how hard he tried.

Sighing dejectedly, Zuko lifted up his hand to eye level- palm facing the ceiling. He held his breath for a moment, knowing that this still wouldn't work, yet he still felt the anxious niggling in his stomach as he waited for a flame to appear in the dip of his hand. Like he suspected, not even a wisp of smoke.

Zuko pulled off his covers and swung his bare feet around, settling them on the smooth and cold marble floor. It juxtaposed against the hot and rough skin of his feet, but Zuko paid it no mind. Instead he stared ahead blankly, blinking away the burning images in his head and trying to calm his heavy heart. It was frustrating, to say the least, and it weighed on him so much that he felt like he was pressed to the ground. He had never been without his bending, not like this. Sure, it had been weakened in the past but that was nothing compared to having absolutely nothing come out, nothing from inside warming him like his own personal sun.

Now, he was cold.

He thought that the suppressants Yura fed him every day would have worn off by now, yet his bending was still absent. Though Katara's healing sessions with him had tapered off, he thought that might have helped slightly. But it didn't, and he was now feeling the emptiness of his cold hands and even colder heart.

A sharp exhale whistled between Zuko's lips as he stood. Shirtless and barefoot, he sauntered towards the doors that led to his balcony. His limbs felt like they were full of lead, and his mouth felt like sandpaper. The night was solace, yet he could not find peace in his sleep. The stars above twinkled, just like they always had, but they did not inspire awe inside of him. Such beauty was mundane to him lately.

Even the breeze hitting his bare chest did not soothe him like it would in the past. Instead a shiver ran through him, one he could not quell with his warming breath. Normally, he could stand out on his balcony with just a pair of pants on during the coldest of nights and he would still sweat. Even in the South Pole, a simple robe would be enough to keep him warm while the snow fell. Now he was beginning to wonder why he even subjugated himself to going outside when it was starting to get so cold, anyway.

Winter was coming, just in time to match the chill he already had settling in his bones.

Zuko felt his shoulders drop and he let his feet carry him back inside. The fire in his fireplace was out, save for a few smoldering embers beneath cinders and ashes. He brought himself over and tossed another few logs on top, stopping himself when he went to thrust his fist towards it. Nothing would come out, he had to remind himself, causing another wave of despair to wash over him.

But soon enough, the fire caught the log and grew to warm the entire room. Zuko slunk into bed, eyes never leaving the fire, and he contemplated what he was going to do the next day. Boring himself to sleep was the only thing he could do now.

First he had a meeting with the education ministers. They wanted to discuss the changes in the history curriculum, as well as the additions to the language and calligraphy classes. It was something Zuko had implemented within the first months of his rule- changing the history lessons to correctly reflect the events of the war- and add the electives of learning the languages of the other nations. That had been a requirement for higher nobility, but since the embargo was lifted and free trade was allowed once more in the Fire Nation, more and more people of different nationalities would be coming to the Fire Nation, and vice versa.

After that meeting, Zuko was supposed to have lunch with Iroh and discuss his return to Ba Sing Se. Though Zuko didn't want to see his uncle go, it was about time he took the reins back entirely. Even if he wasn't fully himself.

His eyes were feeling heavy, and his body felt like it was starting to sink into the mattress. He couldn't force himself to think about tomorrow anymore, instead he let himself drift back into what would certainly be a fitful slumber.

Accompanied with a second nightmare.

* * *

 _tbc._

* * *

 _Updated 11 May 2017._


	2. In the Open

_Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA._

 ** _A/N_** _If there was any confusion about the ages of the characters in this story, they are as follows:_

 _Zuko- 21_

 _Sokka, Suki, Mai- 20_

 _Katara, Ty Lee, Azula- 19_

 _Aang and Toph- 17_

* * *

 **Chapter Two: In the Open**

* * *

"Come on, Zuko! Get back up!"

He groaned, face down in the dirt and sore in places he didn't even know could _get_ sore. Zuko pounded his fist on the ground and hefted himself up onto his knees, then glared at his sister with more irritation than he thought he could muster. "Azula, we're done for today."

Azula stomped over, then crouched in front of him- eyes menacing and piercing as she said lowly, "We stop now, and you won't make any progress from yesterday. Or the day before. Do you want to be able to get back to your fighting shape?"

Begrudgingly, he looked away and growled through gritted teeth, "Yes."

"And until you can bend again, we're going to work on your form until every part of your body aches and bleeds itself dry!"

 _"Azula!"_

Zuko looked over his shoulder to see his mother and Ty Lee, angry and worried respectively, start to approach them from the sidelines of the training grounds- signifying the end of their match. His sister rolled her eyes, stood, then headed in the opposite direction to grab a towel and a drink of water. Once they reached his side, Ty Lee knelt down and began rubbing his shoulders. He shrugged her away, glaring over his shoulder at her - because _no one_ touched him - before she backed off with an uneasy smile.

"Give him a break, Azula," she chirped as she smiled at her friend. "He's still recovering. It'll take a while to get back into the groove of everything!"

Azula narrowed her eyes, then wiped her face and discarded her towel on the ground. "I didn't ask for your opinion, Ty Lee. He needs to be able to fight again and this is the only way."

"Have you tried anything else, honey?" Ursa asked him, looking down with a sad smile.

Zuko shook his head, then grimaced when he felt his neck pop. "We've tried tea, massages, Katara has done some cleansing with her bending... Nothing has worked. Whatever _he_ put in me, it isn't going away."

"Have you tried a sauna?" Azula suggested with a snicker. "Sweating out the toxins worked for a man I met in the Earth Kingdom when he was trying to quit opiates."

"That's not the same, Azula!" he groaned in exasperation.

Ursa shot her daughter a warning look, then knelt down in front of Zuko and cupped his right cheek. "Whatever the problem is, honey, I'm sure you'll find a solution. You always do."

Azula snorted, mumbled a scathing reply under her breath, then left the sparring ring to go back into the palace without as little as a goodbye.

"Have you tried my chi blocking?" Ty Lee asked from above him.

Zuko glared up at her, a biting remark threatening to slip off his tongue. Instead he rolled his eyes and replied, "Obviously not, because if we had you would have known."

"Oh, right," Ty Lee said daftly, and without a word she began striking him all over his body. Zuko could feel the flow of energy open up through his chi paths- things he became familiar with at a young age- but he still didn't feel the distinct power of his bending return to his limbs. As soon as Ty Lee was done hitting specific points on his body, she straightened up and gave him a hopeful smile.

Zuko lifted his hand, trying to light a flame, but yet again nothing came out. With a silent shake of his head, he stood and wordlessly walked away from his mother and guardswoman.

Once inside the palace, Zuko stomped straight to his office. Servants and guards rushed out of his path, bowing when he passed, and murmured concern when he was gone. He had been in the palace for almost two weeks now and things were still not the same. Everyone was wary of the Fire Lord's behavior, now that he was more prone to angry outbursts and random walks in the night. They all knew he didn't sleep much, more so than before, and it was no surprise to see the light under the door of his office at three in the morning.

The door slammed behind him and he pressed his back against the wood, the feeling of defeat seeping through his bones and sinking even deeper into his soul. Weariness from his insomnia was prevalent in his mind, and it showed in the way he slumped down onto the floor without much of a fight. With his head in his hands, Zuko let himself admit the inevitable- he will never be the same.

He could see it in the eyes of his friends, and in the ones in his reflection.

Time will pass, but his pain will not. His bending may never return, the nightmares will never leave, and his fear of the Xi Lang returning will always be the first thing he thinks of. Perhaps it was meant to be; a paranoid Fire Lord who can't defend himself. It would give any dissenters the chance to rebel and dethrone him. Possibly put Azula there instead. She was in the palace now, so that would make things so much easier for them. And knowledge of his lack of bending would make even more people decide to take action. Things were unsteady enough as it is, having an incapable Fire Lord would just be the straw on the elephant camel's back.

Several knocks on the door jolted Zuko from his pensive thoughts, and he quickly stood and tidied himself up before swinging the door open. Standing on the other side was a bowing guard, his helmet removed. When he straightened up, Zuko acknowledged him with a curt nod.

"What is it?"

"It's Master Katara, Your Majesty," the guard replied. "She is preparing for her departure."

Zuko's eyes widened with realization and- what he would be loathe to admit- hurt.

The guard diverted his eyes when he saw the look on Zuko's face and continued, "You wished for me to inform you when she was preparing her things. She doesn't plan on leaving for another few hours so you have time to bid her farewell."

With a sharp breath, Zuko nodded again. "Thank you, Som Gai. I will inform you if I need your services any further."

"Anything for you, Fire Lord Zuko," Som Gai bowed again. He lifted his head slightly and added sympathetically, "And- my apologies for being too bold, my Lord- I am sorry for the loss of Shun. He was a good soldier, and a good man. I grieve his loss, and yours as well. I know he was a friend to you."

Zuko smiled sadly, then patted Som Gai on the shoulder. The guard straightened his back and looked him right in the eyes as he said, "It was not too bold for you to say. I appreciate your sincerity."

Som Gai nodded and replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Now if you'll excuse me," Zuko said, glancing behind Som Gai's shoulder with excited anticipation. The guard bowed and shuffled out of Zuko's way, and out of the corner of Zuko's eye he saw him grinning at the Fire Lord's overly-excited jog towards the guest wing of the palace.

* * *

Her things were packed; folded tightly to fit in the dark red bag given to her by Zuko. It was much larger than the blue sack she had carried with her for the past five years, and much less raggedy, to be frank. She also just liked the fact that it was Zuko who had given it to her in the first place.

Katara vowed then and there she would never use any other bag for the rest of her life. Not that she would tell him that.

Or anyone else, for that matter.

There was a single knock on her door, halting her from tying up the top of her bag, and she turned just in time to see Azula slink into her room.

"Oh, hello Azula."

The princess sneered, then stomped over like a pouting child and plopped herself on Katara's bed. Based on her slightly disheveled and sweaty appearance, Katara assumed she just got back from a sparring session with Toph. When she didn't say anything, instead still seething as she stared at the wall, Katara turned back to her bag and put the last of her herb rations in the side pocket.

"How was your match?"

Azula scoffed, snapping her head in Katara's direction, and replied with irritation, "Oh, it would have been _much_ better if my _opponent_ could actually fight!"

Katara smiled to herself. "Toph's going easy on you?"

"Not Toph, you dimwit," Azula growled, still pouting. "My brother. Your little lovebird. I swear, if he doesn't get off his ass any time soon someone is going to come and actually kill him this time, and he won't be able to defend himself."

 _Oh._ Katara turned from her bag to look at the princess, suddenly feeling the gravity of the conversation. Azula wasn't being unreasonable. From what Katara could tell, she was actually concerned. "Wait, what do you mean, Azula?"

Azula unfolded her arms and flicked her wrist dismissively. "His bending! He still can't bend. It's been almost a month since you found him, so it's obviously not the stuff they gave him. It's just him blocking himself. And I'm sick and tired of him giving stupid excuses to not get up and push himself away from what happened."

Katara frowned as she walked towards Azula and knelt in front of her. "Azula, it's going to take some time. Zuko hasn't been himself, obviously. Pressuring him is just going to make things worse for him. He needs to figure this out on his own, and we should do whatever we can to support him and help him get back to being himself. You of all people should understand that."

The princess glared at her, like her stare alone would set the waterbender on fire, then relaxed before looking away and sticking out her lower lip. The princess's ability to quickly become comfortable in a former enemy's presence was astounding. "He's just pissing me off. We've been doing these sparring sessions for a week and he still hasn't made any progress. Ursa said he should talk to Iroh but that hasn't helped. Have you talked to him about it?"

Katara shook her head. "I haven't really had the chance to talk to him since the night of that big dinner. We've both been so busy that we haven't seen each other for more than a few minutes."

Something in Azula's eyes softened when she turned back to face Katara again, and right went to open her mouth there was another knock on Katara's door. Both women turned to stare at it before Katara cleared her throat and called out to the guest, "Come in."

His ears must have been burning, because lo and behold Zuko came walking into her room, just as sweaty and much more dirty than Azula. Katara's heart leaped into her throat, and she was certain it's hammering beat could have been heard a mile away. She could feel her lips involuntarily pull into a smile, but quickly stood and looked down at her skirt to straighten them out before Zuko could see her grin.

Azula looked from Katara to Zuko, snickered to herself, then stood and left without another word- waving goodbye while she left both Katara and Zuko extremely confused. Once the door was shut behind her, Zuko turned and smiled at Katara.

"You two are getting along pretty well," he commented with amusement, and a hint of resentment.

Katara grinned and propped her hands on her hips. "Oh, are you getting a little jealous that I'm becoming friends with your sister?"

Zuko inflated, mouth pulling down into a deep frown, and he huffed, "No! It's just, her friends have never been too kind to me. I wouldn't want that to change with us."

Katara shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest as she replied replied, "Well, _Zuzu_ , you won't need to worry about that. I don't plan on changing my attitude about you any time soon."

Ignoring Azula's typical nickname for him leaving Katara's mouth, Zuko gave her a genuine smile, teeth showing and lips pulling up in that lopsided way that was just so incredibly endearing that it made Katara oddly giddy. It was so nice to see him actually smile, since it has been so rare as of late. So she returned the smile, then sat on her bed. She patted the space next to her and was pleased immensely when Zuko's cheek pinkened a little as he walked over.

Once he sat down, her attitude changed from playful to serious once again as she asked, "So how are you feeling?"

Any happiness vanished and Zuko's shoulders drooped faster than his smile. "Terrible."

"Still can't bend, huh?"

He shook his head. "We've tried everything. Nothing works."

"Zuko," Katara said softly, causing him to look over at her. She smiled reassuringly, then put her hand on his knee. "Nothing is going to work."

His frown grew hopeless and weariness grew on his face as the possibility of never bending again probably crossed his mind. He said in a small and pained voice, "What do you mean?"

She sighed, squeezing him a little as she did, and replied, "During our last healing session, I realized something: all of the bending suppressants were out of your system. It was some strong stuff, but it was gone when we last worked together. So whatever block you're having, it's all mental now."

Zuko groaned and fell back onto the bed, covering his face with his hands. "Oh, no..."

Katara turned so she could look at him fully and she added, "But that doesn't mean it can't be done."

"What do you suggest, then?" he snapped in a weak and faux scathing tone, the sound muffled through his hands.

She leaned forward and gripped his wrists, pulling them away from his face. He stared up at her, despair evident in his eyes. With a sigh, she said, "Your block is probably stemming from something in your subconscious. So whatever you've been avoiding and have refused to confront about what happened, it's going to keep you from moving on."

Zuko rolled over onto his side, still staring up at her, and he whispered pitifully, "I... I don't think I can."

Katara looked down at him sadly, taking his hand with hers. "Talk to me."

His eyes darted away just as he inhaled sharply. For a while they sat in silence, her hand still holding his and the tension of his imminent admission hanging thickly over their heads. And just when Katara was certain he was going to brush it off and leave her, he turned his hand over and gripped hers tightly.

"I'm scared."

"What are you scared of?"

His breath shook and he whispered, "I'm scared he can still hurt me."

Katara felt her chest tighten and her stomach drop. _Yura._

"I close my eyes, and he's there. I try to sleep, he's in my dreams. I keep thinking he's going to come back and hurt me- or worse, you- and I just feel so powerless like I had been in that _cage_ ," he spat the last word disdainfully, but his voice had still been uneven enough for Katara to feel her own heart seize.

"Zuko, look at me."

He looked up through his lashes, the softness he had when he stared at her ever present with his own unique warmth. But beneath it was fear and pain, masked by faked strength.

Katara laid down next to him, now making them face to face, and she cupped his hands in between their bodies. "Whatever you feel is valid. Your fears are realistic. But I can say with certainty that you don't have to be afraid anymore. Your friends are here for you, and they're prepared to do whatever it takes to protect you. We all keep each other safe, and I can guarantee I will do whatever I can to prevent that from happening to you again."

He stared at her for a long time, eyes darting back and forth between hers, a slight furrow in his brow while he thought. Soon a closed-lip grin grew on his face and he squeezed her hands a little harder. "Thank you, Katara. I think that helped a bit."

She smiled in return and rubbed his wrist with the pad of her thumb. "Good. I'm here for you, and I'll help you in any way that I can."

Quickly, his smile vanished and was replaced with a sad frown. "I know... I just hate that you decided to leave so soon."

Katara sighed and sat up, breaking whatever spell had been cast on them both, and she rubbed her eyes with her fingers. "You know why I'm doing this. I think it's about time I do things on my own." She looked back to Zuko, who was still laying down and had his body partially curled around hers. "But that doesn't mean I won't come back."

Zuko kept his eyes locked on hers as he slowly sat up. Without even hesitating, he took her hand into his and said quietly, "And then what? Where will you go then?"

She was breathless, staring into those hypnotizing eyes, waiting for him to do or say something that would give her the reason to give into those desires she had been feeling for the past week. She had every reason not to, but for the life of her she couldn't explain why she couldn't stop. She wanted to have a reason to stay, and she did. He was sitting right in front of her, holding her hand and practically pleading with her to come back to him with his eyes. Why shouldn't she? The South Pole wasn't the same for her, she knew that years ago when she first went back after the war ended. There was nothing for her anywhere in the Earth Kingdom or the North Pole. Yu Dao was now somewhere she wouldn't belong, now that she and Aang had broken up.

There was nothing for her anywhere. At least, not like this. Not like Zuko.

She sighed and looked away, biting her lip as she contemplated what she would say next. She started slowly, "If I were asked to be somewhere, I would go there. I will go where I'm needed."

When she looked back over, she saw Zuko's crestfallen expression as he looked away and said softly, "I see..."

"There's nowhere I really can go," she added, precaution thrown into the wind, as she leaned around to look him in the eye. "I really haven't had a place to call home for the past five years, just people."

Zuko took a deep breath and let go of her hand, still not looking at her as he replied, "Well, in your journeys you might find what you think is missing. For all you know, where you should go is so plainly obvious that you'll hit yourself for not seeing it sooner."

Katara felt her chest tighten as she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Zuko, is there something you want to say to me? Because that just made no sense."

She waited for Zuko to turn, to say something that wasn't some mess of something that she didn't understand. It wasn't like he spoke in proverbs like Iroh, but what he had said to her had some hidden meaning only he could comprehend. It did have a meaning to her, but she knew he didn't mean the same thing. How could he? He didn't know that she had fallen in love with him. She just figured it out recently, and she hadn't told a soul. There was no way he could be talking about that.

Just as he turned and opened his mouth, there was a loud and frantic knocking on her door followed by shouting from the guard outside.

"Master Katara! Is Fire Lord Zuko in there? It's urgent!"

* * *

 _tbc._

* * *

 _Updated 11 May 2017._


	3. Over Again

_Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA._

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Over Again**

* * *

 ** _Three Days Earlier_**

"Avatar Aang! We weren't expecting you!"

Aang swooped down from the sky, twirling his staff in his hand before tucking it into the holster on his back. Appa groaned from above and quickly descended to his stable behind the compound. Xing Ying covered her eyes as dust was upturned with his landing, but quickly composed herself with a warm smile. Aang silently pushed past her and headed inside, where a cot and hot bath would be waiting for him. He needed to clean off all of his worries and strife, as quick as possible.

"How was your visit to the Fire Nation?"

The Avatar stiffened, almost halting his footsteps, but continued inside silently. He heard her shuffle behind him and then order around some of the other acolytes in hushed whispers as he headed to his room. Before he could close the door, Xing Ying called out to him again.

"Aang!"

He paused and glanced over his rigid shoulder. She never just called him by just his name before.

She paused and then bowed her head respectfully. "Pardon my rudeness, but where is Master Katara? She did not appear to arrive with you."

At the disdainful sound of her name, there was a painful twitch in his heart. Aang felt his chest tighten and his stomach sink. He tried his best not to think of Katara the entire flight back, but he had been incredibly unsuccessful. And as soon as Xing Ying said her name, it felt like a knife to the heart. He tried to shake off his visible heartbreak and not to seem too vulnerable, Aang scowled and answered curtly, "She stayed in the Fire Nation. Where she would rather be."

He didn't miss the look of glee on Xing Ying's face when he replied, but ignored it as he slammed his door shut and pressed his back against the wood. No matter how much he repeated it, even out loud, it would never fully settle with Aang that she was no longer his.

He really messed up this time.

* * *

Even after bathing, Aang still felt dirty; ashamed for what he did back in the Fire Nation, disappointed that he didn't try harder, and depressed that he really lost the woman he loved. But if time and space was what she needed to think things through, then he'd let her have it. Maybe she'll realize that what he was offering was actually what she wanted in life. Katara will see that he really is where she needs to be, even if space is what will bring her to figure it out. Perhaps after she has some time to travel the world and to see things with fresh eyes, she will come back.

But Aang knew deep down that was just wishful thinking.

As soon as he left his bathroom and threw on some sleeping pants, Aang plopped himself on his cot and almost immediately fell asleep. And he would have, if not for the eerie sensation of someone else in his room. Had he been in a better state of mind, Aang would have noticed that there was actually someone there. But he wasn't, so by the time he sat up and prepared to attack, it was too late.

Something was dropped on the floor and a thick and dark reddish green gas filled the room. Aang did his best to airbend it away, but it kept creeping back faster than he could counter it. He wrapped an orb of air around his head and leapt to the balcony door, but it was bolted shut. He dashed to his bedroom door but it was locked from the outside, as well. Shouting would just deplete the air in his orb, and banging on the door would just attract the attacker, and maybe some of their accomplices.

He was stuck.

Aang whirled around and faced the room, looking for his attacker through the smoke. There was little time left before his orb disappeared, and he had nowhere to go. He did his best to feel for the presence once more, but it almost seemed like they disappeared.

He started to panic when the air of his orb diminished, leaving him holding his breath. The gas could be poisonous, or why would his attacker wait so long to strike? Something was in that gas and it was going to be his downfall.

So would cutting off air.

Aang gagged before he sucked in a deep breath, taking the gas with him. Almost immediately, his limbs felt numb and it felt like he lost all feeling in every single part of his body. His knees buckled and he toppled down onto the floor, face first into the carpet.

The sound of someone earthbending filled Aang's ears, then the soft vibrations of someone stepping on the floor shook Aang's prone body. They grew closer and closer until the sight of black boots in front of his face was all Aang could see. The owner kneeled and rolled him onto his back. Aang could finally see the face of his assailant, or rather what was in its place- a black mask with red fangs protruding out of a maniacal grin. The holes for eyes were surrounded with dark teal, framed with dramatic maroon eyebrows.

The attacker grabbed Aang's neck and spoke, their low voice muffled through his mask, "The Avatar, defeated by a simple Shirshu venom gas bomb. How disappointing."

Aang would have responded, but he was cut short by a hand silencing him. Not to mention it felt like his throat had collapsed entirely on itself.

"Do not worry," the person replied. "I'm not going to kill you. Right now, I need you to send a message to your friends in the Fire Nation. Let them know that we are not gone, and we are coming."

Without a beat something sharp was thrust into Aang's stomach and the assailant vanished, leaving Aang paralyzed and mute while he bled out on the floor.

* * *

"Fire Lord Zuko, I am sorry for this intrusion!" the guard said, bowing at the waist as he practically spoke to the ground. "But it most urgent that I speak with you and Master Katara."

Zuko looked at Katara, and suddenly everything he meant to tell her disappeared with the fear of what this guard was going to say. That tone never meant something good.

He cleared his throat and stood a little taller. "Speak."

The guard straightened up and nodded. "It's about Avatar Aang, sir... We received a letter from the acolytes about him-"

"What is it?" Katara immediately perked up and took a step forward. "What's going on with Aang?"

The guard took a breath and looked down to his feet. "There was.. an attempt on his life, Master Katara."

Her shocked gasp shook Zuko, right as the news made his heart stop and his stomach to drop. He stared at the guard with wide eyes and a slack jaw. An attempt on Aang's life? Who would do such a thing? Why would they... _how_ could they?

Katara's sudden muffled gasp broke Zuko out of his stupor and almost immediately he turned to her. Her hands were covering her mouth and her eyes were wide, but no tears fell. He was about to embrace and comfort her when her eyes hardened and she stared down the guard with steely eyes.

"What did the acolytes say?"

"They are asking for your immediate assistance, my Lady," the guard stated. "They said your healing abilities can aid the Avatar's recovery and possibly find the culprit. The woman who penned the note also said that you were requested to speak with Morishita on the matter, your Majesty. What are your commands?"

Zuko swallowed, trying his best to ignore Katara's even voice and suddenly distant composure, and replied sternly, "Prepare an airship. We leave in two hours. Have your men tell Masters Sokka, Suki, and Toph of the situation. I'll tell my mother and uncle. Please send some servants to pack my things and help anyone else who is coming. I will leave General Iroh in charge in my stead again, and inform him of such."

"Yes, my Lord." the guard bowed again. "It will be done in haste."

"Thank you."

As soon as the guard scurried away and around the corner, Zuko turned his attention to the woman next to him. Tentatively, he reached out and stroked her back, ignoring his desire to take her in his arms. He could truly tell she was about to cry. Why wouldn't she? Despite the fact they just broke up, Katara still cared for Aang and had been his girlfriend for years. Learning that someone had tried to kill him would surely upset her.

In fact, her silence and empty gaze unsettled him more than sobs and tears would.

"It'll be alright," he said softly, pressing his hand to the small of her back and leading her back into her room. "He's still alive, Katara. We just need to get there to make sure it stays that way."

Katara sniffed - still no tears, though- and shook her head. Her voice was eerily calm when she said, "He wouldn't even be hurt if he hadn't left. And he only left because I dumped him. This is all my fault."

"It's not your fault," Zuko insisted quietly. Despite her calm demeanor, he knew this was getting to her. He had to keep his composure, as much as he wanted to scream and cry, too. He sighed as he took her in his arms - _finally_ \- and held her close. "Unless you were the one to do this to him, it's not your fault. We will find the person responsible and they will be brought to justice. Until then, all we can do is go and be at Aang's side."

Katara buried her face against his chest and he could feel her tears start to fall and soak through his shirt. They stood in silence for a few moments, not moving one inch from their spot as Katara quietly cried. Once she calmed down and moved away from him with pink cheeks, Zuko just gave her a reassuring smile before she nodded and licked her lips. "I'll finish packing my stuff."

Zuko watched her as she blinked and more tears began falling down her face. Quickly, he used his thumbs to wipe them away, then smiled at her again when she glanced up at him through wet lashes.

"It'll be fine," he said in a way that even he believed himself. "I promise."

* * *

"My Lord?"

Zuko turned from the fogged-up mirror to look at the beckoning servant. He was bowed respectfully, like they all do, with his hands in his sleeves and a neutral expression on his down-turned face.

"Yes?"

"Lady Ursa would like to speak with you before you depart," the servant responded.

Zuko nodded once in dismissal and finished washing his face, then shrugged on a casual shirt and swept his hair into a loose ponytail. He wasn't leaving for another hour, yet he was already packed and ready to go. All he needed to do now was finalize the last of the arrangements for his absence and then he would be done. Honestly, he couldn't wait to get out of this place. Helping Aang would make him feel useful once more, and maybe it would help him get past this block.

As soon as Zuko made it to his mother's room, he saw the door was partially open. He peaked in and saw her speaking with Azula, who looked more ticked off than usual. And it didn't seem like she was getting her usual scolding. Quickly, Zuko back out of sight so they wouldn't see him spying.

"...probably won't let you go, you know this."

Zuko could hear Azula huff and he could only imagine her folding her arms across her chest as she pouted, "Yes, but since our oh-so-powerful Fire Lord can't even bend, who is going to watch his pathetic ass? No offense, but those friends of his aren't the most capable."

He felt his temper flare and he almost barged in, but Ursa beat him to the punch.

"Azula!" she chided in a snap. "They were the ones who brought you _and_ your brother back home safely. They would do whatever it takes to protect Zuko, and you know that fact. He does not need you to take care of him, too. Though I know you want to."

Azula scoffed. "It's not that I _want_ to. It's just no one else could do it like I could."

A third voice, from someone Zuko did not know was there, spoke up, "Actually, since your doctor didn't give you a written release and Fire Lord Zuko didn't say you could leave the palace, it would be breaking the law if you left without his permission."

"Oh, shut up," Azula snapped to the stranger. "I don't want to hear anything from _you_ , Hera."

 _Hera? Who is Hera?_

"I'm just telling it as it is, princess."

Zuko pictured steam coming out of Azula's nostrils, but when her silence followed this Hera's reply, he seemed to be wrong.

"I know you're out there, Zuko."

He felt his cheeks heat under the sudden embarrassment of being caught snooping, but listened as he swallowed and pushed the door open. Inside the room were his mother and Azula, both standing, and the woman named Hera. She was sitting casually on the couch, staring at him with a glimmer in her dark eyes.

Hera was nothing spectacular, Zuko decided. She had long dark brown hair tied in a long braid that was draped over her shoulder. She was dressed in black head to toe, and wore golden bands on her arms and neck. It seemed she had some weapons strapped to her belt as well as sticking out of her boots, but he couldn't tell from this distance exactly what she was carrying. And as Zuko approached, he saw that her eyes was still on him. They were a vibrant shade of purple.

When she noticed he was looking at her, she bowed in her seat and looked up at him with a grin. "Good afternoon, Fire Lord Zuko! So glad you could join us."

He arched his eyebrow at her casual demeanor, but instead of commenting he looked to Ursa. "You asked to see me, mother?"

Ursa smiled. "Ah, yes. Actually, this is something I've been discussing with your uncle after your rescue. Since Shun's passing, you no longer have a personal body guard. Now I know you like to hand-pick your close staff but I believe that since you are going to Yu Dao now, you need someone to protect you at all times. I assume that your friends will be assisting you, as well, but in the times that they cannot be by your side, you cannot be unprotected. That's why I asked Hera to be your interim personal body guard until you can hand-pick Shun's replacement."

Hera waved at him and stood, then bowed slightly at the waist. "I am glad to be of service to my Fire Lord. And I will help out in any way he pleases."

Once again, Zuko stared at Hera incredulously before turning back to his mother. "I appreciate the concern, Mom, but I don't need a personal body guard. I'll be-"

"Fine?" Ursa interrupted, her sweet smile betraying her biting tone. "Isn't that what you said the last time? Right before you were kidnapped and held hostage for a month? Before Shun was murdered and left to rot on a dirt road in the Earth Kingdom, protecting you? Before your bending was cut off and you almost died? You might say you're fine, but you're far from it. And as your mother it is my responsibility to take care of you and protect you-"

"Ha!" Azula barked. "Like you did such a grand job of that in the past! Just look at his face! So much for you protecting him!"

Both Ursa and Zuko glared at the princess, but Zuko did not say one thing. Azula was right, but he wouldn't dare agree with her in front of Ursa. Their mother seemed upset enough as it is, and throwing wood on the fire wouldn't help things at all. When Azula met his gaze, she seemed to agree with him.

Ursa took a deep breath and leveled her gaze on Zuko. "What I'm saying is, until you feel back to normal, you will need as much protection as possible. And since you've decided to leave the bulk of the Kyoshi Warriors here to protect Iroh, myself, and Azula, I felt the need to find someone to help you."

Zuko sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. "And you felt..." He flippantly gestured towards Hera. " _She_ is the best candidate?"

"I graduated top of my class, Fire Lord," Hera cut in, standing up straight as she garnered Zuko's attention. "I would have been second, had you actually stayed in the Academy."

"She's from your year, Zuzu," Azula chimed, rolling her eyes as she took a cup of water off of the table in front of her. "I'm surprised you don't remember her."

"Well, his Majesty was in the boys part of the Academy, Princess Azula," Hera spoke simply with a smile, if not a little too saccharine for Zuko's liking. Her tone reminded him of a mother trying to explain things to an ignorant child. "And you and I know very well that the school does not become co-ed until we are fourteen, in the last year. And he left when we were thirteen."

"I remember," Azula snapped.

Hera ignored the stinging tone and turned back to Zuko. "I specialize in the rope dart and short sword, as well as firebending. I am not skilled enough to be considered a master with my bending, but with my weapons I am. I am fluent in the common language and the native tongues spoken in all of the nations, and I can read and write in them, as well. I am pretty skilled in espionage and infiltration. I think my resume is enough to convince you that I am capable of protecting you."

Zuko turned to her fully and stared her down. She was qualified enough, sure, but when it came down to it, would she lay her life on the line in order to let him continue on? As a servant to the Fire Lord, that is what is expected. Would she, when the time came, let herself die for him?

"Tell me, Hera, have you ever killed anyone before?"

She seemed a little stunned by the question, but answered regardless. "No, I have not."

"Have you ever been in battle?"

She swallowed. "No, but-"

"Have you seen a comrade die?" Zuko pressed on, face pulling deeper into a scowl with every question. "Have you ever seen a friend die protecting _you?_ Have you ever faced death _yourself_ by sacrificing your life so your comrade could live? This is not an easy job and an impressive skill set won't prepare you for the possible duties that you could face. Shun died protecting his Fire Lord, and even though I was inevitably captured, you must be willing to do whatever it takes to keep me safe like he did. Prevention is the highest priority of your job. Not protection. Your job is to prevent these things from happening, whether it be taking me down a new route or stopping people from seeing me. You cannot do that with a knife on a string and mediocre bending."

Without another word, Zuko turned on his heel and marched out of his mother's room. Just as he reached the door, he turned and gave a simple nod. "It was nice meeting you, Hera. Mother, thank you for the consideration, but I decline. And Azula, don't leave the palace while I'm gone unless a Kyoshi Warrior or Uncle Iroh is with you. Good-bye."

The door shut loudly behind him.

* * *

As soon as the door was closed, Ursa turned to Hera with an apologetic look on her face. "I am so sorry he acted that way towards you, Hera. You know how men get: their pride outweighs their common sense."

Hera gave her a dismissive wave and sat down next to Azula. "It's not a problem, my Lady. I still intend on going, like you requested. If Fire Lord Zuko doesn't like it, then he will have to get over himself. I'm pretty sure all of his friends will agree to let me stay, his stubborn attitude be damned."

Azula watched her with keen eyes, suddenly suspicious. Why was this woman, someone of no status and lack of recognition in the military, suddenly recommended to Ursa to protect Zuko? Azula had met her once back when she was still in the Academy, and she was an acquaintance of Mai's back when she and Zuko were an item during the war... But she didn't seem like the one to be so highly recommended. At least, not for the Fire Lord's personal guard.

Something fishy was afoot.

Azula stood up abruptly and excused herself. As she practically sprinted out of the room, she could hear Ursa's comments about her complete disrespect, but she ignored them. Instead, she headed straight to Ty Lee's room down the hall. A few sharp knocks were enough for Ty Lee to know it was her and the door was swung open.

Thin arms wrapped around Azula's shoulders and the sound of Ty Lee's voice bounced around her ears.

"Hi, Azula!"

"Hello, Ty Lee," she replied with a light pat on Ty Lee's back. When the acrobat pulled away, Azula attempted her best cordial smile. "Can I ask a favor of you?"

Ty Lee practically exploded, her eyes beaming and her smile spreading so high that her eyes crinkled shut. "Of course! Come on in. I'll make some tea."

Azula stepped inside Ty Lee's room and took a seat on her couch. The colors were muted, as were all of the guest suites, but there were splashes of pink and green where Ty Lee's casual clothes and uniform were strewn about. In the typical Ty Lee fashion, her sheets were unmade and her curtains were open wide for the sunlight to fill the room entirely.

"So, what is it that you want me to do?" Ty Lee asked as she walked over with the tea cradled in her hands.

Azula took the cup and inhaled the steam before starting, "I need you to keep an eye on someone for me while you go with Zuko..."

* * *

"Fly safely!" Iroh called from the dock, waving to the ship as it rose into the sky. From beside him, Ursa and Azula stood and watched with him. "And good luck!"

Zuko waved back. "Thank you, Uncle!"

As soon as they were breaking through the clouds, Zuko turned back away from the railings and inside the ship. Speaking with the captain was Sokka, who was pointing out different locations in Yu Dao and the best places for the ship to land so they wouldn't have to travel far to get to the acolytes. Toph was laying on the floor with her head in Suki's lap while Suki brushed her bangs away from her sweaty forehead. Zuko looked down at her with a little pity, knowing how much she hated flying. With a sigh, he kept moving on.

Ty Lee was nowhere to be found, but Zuko guessed she was somewhere flirting with a crew member or tumbling down the catwalks outside. Either way, she wasn't bugging him, so he didn't care.

Katara, however, was leaning against the railings below the windows, watching the world pass them by. Zuko approached her and lightly pressed his shoulder against her's. She seemed to jump a little at the sudden contact, but leaned against him as she settled into his touch.

"You okay?"

She nodded and looked up at him with a small smile. "Yes. Thanks for asking, Zuko."

He gave her a reassuring grin and brought his stare to the window. Once again, he repeated to her softly, "Everything will be fine."

She may or may not have believed him. But as far as Zuko was concerned, her belief was enough to keep him going. Even if he didn't believe it himself.

"I promise."

* * *

 _tbc._

* * *

 _Updated 11 May 2017._


	4. No Time

_Disclaimer I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender._

* * *

 **Chapter Four: No Time**

* * *

"Are you sure they will come, Hayato?"

Hayato narrowed his golden eyes and hushed the young man next to him. "Lord Takeshi assured me that they would come. Seeing an ally fall is not something they will take lightly. Fire Lord Zuko will easily take the bait."

"And since they're all together they're probably going to all come to his aid, right?"

Hayato looked over to his partner and frowned. "Haven't you ever heard of being _quiet_ , Kei Lo?"

The younger, more eager man of the duo pressed his lips together and sank towards the branch. "Sorry, Hayato. Lord Bau Li didn't instruct me exactly on what I was supposed to do here with you."

"Keep your mouth shut, kid," Hayato hissed. "That's what you _really_ need to learn to do."

"Sorry, Hayato, sir."

"Also, I need you to tell the others that the plan is in motion. I'll let Lord Takeshi know myself."

Hayato pulled a scroll out of his pack and quickly jotted down the progress of the mission. Kei Lo watched over his shoulder as he scribbled down the status of the Avatar, as well as the estimated arrival of the Fire Lord and the waterbender.

By his guess, it would be a half a day until they arrive. Plenty of time to plan their next move.

He scribbled out more instructions on a separate scroll and handed it to Kei Lo. With a sharp whistle, a hawk swooped down from the branches above and Hayato slipped the note to Lord Takeshi into its holster. He sent it off with little ceremony, then brought his gaze back to the building beneath the cliff they were perched upon. "Hand that to Yao. He will know what to do."

Kei Lo got onto his feet and saluted eagerly. "You got it, partner!"

Hayato rolled his eyes and snapped back at the retreating youth. "And for the last time, I'm not your partner!"

* * *

Ty Lee snuck through the bowels of the ship, not knowing exactly where she was planning on going. Azula told her to find Hera and to get to the bottom of her appearance. Also, why she was so adamant on guarding Zuko even when he refused her service. Not that it wasn't a desirable job, but the potential recruits have stopped lining up since Shun died in the line of duty.

Not that Ty Lee was admitting it out loud, but this job kind of stunk, too. As much as she loved Azula, doing her dirty work because she herself couldn't leave the palace wasn't the most fun of tasks. But if it got her back on Azula's good side, then Ty Lee would do it in a heartbeat.

Speaking of heartbeat...

A hammering of chi was poking at Ty Lee's senses, tugging her in the direction of the storage bay. When she pushed the door open, the light from the hall flooded into the dark room. Hundreds of boxes and crates were stacked upon each other, creating many rows and alleys that one could easily hide within.

Swiftly, Ty Lee leapt to the top of the closest stack and honed in on the waves of chi. Almost in the very back of the room was it's source, and quickly Ty Lee ran across the boxes and jumped to the ground right in front of the stowaway. When she landed, Hera didn't even flinch. Instead she looked impressed that Ty Lee had found her; smirking with a sparkle in her odd eyes.

"Why are you here?" Ty Lee demanded as she stood up straight and folded her arms across her chest.

Hera smiled and relaxed against the crate behind her. "I'm doing what I was ordered to do by Lady Ursa."

"And you were told to not come, by order of the Fire Lord," Ty Lee countered. "His word is above Lady Ursa's."

"Not when he isn't in the most sound of mind," Hera replied, sitting up and looking up at Ty Lee earnestly. "Do you really think he's in the right place to be making orders? He barely has recovered from his kidnapping, and now he's going head-first into a world-wide crisis. There's no way he can do that without some protection."

Ty Lee's eyes narrowed. "I'm not buying that excuse. Plus, he has all of us here to protect him, too, and we're all perfectly capable of taking care of him. So we don't need an extra person." Her arms crossed and she said in the most threatening voice she could muster, "Tell me why you're really here, Hera. I know that there's only so much you're capable of."

Hera just shrugged and looked away. "I'm under strict orders. Can't tell you anything, darling."

"Fine," Ty Lee conceded, shrugging as well as she took a step back. With a huff, she gave a nonchalant wave of her hand and lied, "I'm under strict orders, too, so I have to tell Suki that you're here."

Hera looked amused. "Not the Fire Lord?"

"Like I said, strict orders." Ty Lee was starting to get pretty impressed with her lying skills today.

Hera hummed. "Well, don't let me stop you. It's not like you guys can do anything until we get to Yu Dao."

Ty Lee scowled and made to jump up again, but Hera stopped her.

"Look, I'm just doing what's best for the Fire Lord, even if he can't see it right now. Lady Ursa made me swear to protect him. I won't go back on my word."

Without replying, Ty Lee leaped to the crates above and headed to the doors again. She didn't normally act like this, but Azula told her Hera couldn't be trusted. Even with how paranoid the princess could get, Ty Lee had the same gut feeling. Hera's aura was dark and muddy, especially around her throat when she had tried to tell Ty Lee how earnest she was.

Hera was lying, but Ty Lee really figure out what she's hiding.

* * *

As soon as the airship landed in the open courtyard by Toph's school, Katara and Zuko raced to the city walls of Yu Dao. The guards at the gates barely had time to blink before the Fire Lord and the master waterbender were running past them in a red and blue blur.

The Air Acolyte building was a quick trip, and soon Katara and Zuko were bounding up every other stair until they reached the top. The door swung open and Xing Ying was waiting for them on the other side. After a rushed bow, she escorted them inside.

Katara already knew the way and pushed past the acolyte, quickly rounding a corner and then swinging Aang's door open.

At first glance, it seemed that he was just sleeping. But the way his breathing was labored and strained, and the way his face was pinched in pain reminded Katara too much of when Azula struck him with lightning. An acolyte was at his side, dabbing away the sweat from his forehead. He was shirtless and around his stomach was a thickly wrapped bandage, which was starting to soak through with blood.

Quickly Katara strode forward and drew water out of her canteen. The acolyte finally registered her presence and got out of her way. Katara sat in the recently vacated chair and put her hands on Aang's stomach. The wound was deep, but thankfully no major arteries were damaged. Whatever had hurt him narrowly missed his stomach and intestines, instead angling up so it barely pierced his diaphragm.

Whoever did this didn't intend on killing Aang, and she was going to find out why.

* * *

"Fire Lord Zuko?"

Zuko blinked a few times, turning his gaze away from where Katara had just disappeared. The small girl who said his name was looking up at him with slightly confused eyes. Out of his Fire Lord regalia, he looked like a normal, armed citizen, minus the scars on his face. He supposed she wasn't sure how to act around him, with him being royalty and all, but he assumed that she never expected to be standing so close to him. Regardless, she was staring at him and it was starting to make him a little uncomfortable.

He cleared his throat and raised his eyebrow, waiting for her to speak.

Something akin to a squeak came out of her mouth and she bowed at her waist. "I'm sorry, sir. I was supposed to bring you to Lord Morishita as soon as you arrived."

Zuko rose his hand to stop her and sighed, "No need to escort me."

Silently he left the acolyte's home and headed down the stairs. Suki was waiting with Ty Lee at the bottom of the stairs, and in the distance Zuko could see Sokka and Toph going up the stairs to her academy while Toph seemed to be barking orders at some of his men and her own students.

Suki smiled at him and took a step towards him once he reached the bottom of the stairs. "So, where is Morishita?"

Zuko turned right and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I have an idea. I doubt he's home at this hour, so we're going to the town hall."

Ty Lee did an overly enthusiastic _"yessir!"_ behind him and Zuko had to stop himself from groaning. Due to the rushed nature of their arrival, Zuko wasn't wearing his full Fire Lord attire. He was just in a casual outfit like he had worn during the war, and his hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his swords were slung on his back. Suki and Ty Lee were in a similar state of informality; dressed in just tunics and pants in green and pink, respectively. Right now, there were more important things to attend to than looking like the all-imposing Fire Lord many believed him to be. He had to save his friend and wearing a huge shoulder mantle wouldn't help in the least.

When they arrived at the town hall, the three climbed the stairs and pushed through the double doors. On the other side were five pages, all shocked to see the Fire Lord in their midst. Quickly, they all bowed.

"F-fire Lord Zuko!" One stammered as he straightened up. "We weren't expecting you! What brings you to Yu Dao?"

"I need to speak to Lord Morishita," Zuko said quickly, then added, "please. It's urgent."

The page nodded and broke out into a run, turning the first corner on his left and disappearing from sight. Not two minutes later, he returned with Morishita on his heels. The older man appeared to be confused, until he spotted Zuko and the Kyoshi Warriors behind him. Relief broke out on his plump face and he approached the Fire Lord. He looked like he wanted to hug Zuko, based on the apparent glee on his face, but Zuko's scowl stopped him in his tracks. Instead, he resorted to patting the younger leader on the shoulders and nodding sagely.

"Fire Lord Zuko," he started. "It is fantastic to see you in such well health. Though the circumstances could be better for our reunion, I am just glad you are safe."

Zuko nodded his thanks. "Morishita, I appreciate your concern, but there's no need for pleasantries. I came to speak about the assassination attempt on the Avatar. Can we talk privately about what happened?"

The former mayor nodded and led the three travelers down the hall towards his office. They passed a few lower level politicians and lobbiers, but their hushed murmurs were ignored as the Fire Lord and his entourage made their way to the back of the building. As soon as they were in his office, Morishita closed the door and headed to his desk. From one of the drawers, he pulled out a small parcel, wrapped in thick white cloth.

Morishita stared at it for a moment before taking a deep breath. When he looked at Zuko with sad eyes and handed over the package, he said morosely, "I believe this belongs to you, Fire Lord."

Zuko took the parcel from him and his heart sank in his chest. As soon as it was in his hands, he knew what it was. Though he didn't want to believe it, the familiarity of the weight and size proved beyond a doubt that what he held was not a small trinket. Once the first prong was visible, Zuko swallowed thickly and looked away.

The dark red on the shiny gold was too unsettling of a sight.

From over his shoulder, Ty Lee gasped, "Zuko, it's your crown!"

Settled in his hands was the golden crown of the Fire Lord, tarnished with splatters of Aang's dried blood.

Zuko looked up at Morishita and scowled. "Why do you have this?"

Morishita shook his head and sat in his chair. "As one of the town leaders, it is my responsibility to oversee investigations such as this one. When Xing Ying came to me the other night, she was hysterical and had no idea what to do. I arrived on the scene, just to the acolytes were already tending to Avatar Aang's wounds. From what they had told me, the crown was embedded in his stomach and they had removed it. Unfortunately that caused the Avatar to bleed even more and we had to call in the doctors from the hospital.

"There wasn't much they could do except keep him from bleeding out, and that's when one of the acolytes suggested contacting Master Katara." Morishita sighed again and rubbed his wrinkled forehead. "I wish we had contacted her sooner. By the time the girls had calmed down, night had already passed. It was Kori that wrote to you in their stead. I hate to put such a burden on you, Fire Lord Zuko, so soon after your own recovery, but we need to find out who attacked the Avatar. Such an act is an act of war, in my books."

"Don't be so hasty, Morishita," Zuko said, looking back to his crown. "First, we find out what happened. Then, we find out who did it. Once we get all the facts, we'll figure out what to do next. For now, relax. We'll take it from here."

Details from the night were hashed out, from what the acolytes told Morishita to what he witnessed himself. It was clear to Zuko that the trauma of the event couldn't be clear without Aang's account of what happened. Unfortunately he was probably still unconscious and wouldn't be able to give them what they needed. After Morishita told them everything about that night, from what time the Avatar was discovered to who was in the building, he wished them good luck and they went back to the clubhouse.

"My bet is on someone ex-Fire Nation," Suki hypothesized, a stern look in her eyes as she spoke. "Someone who wants to war to be back."

"No, I think it was Earth Kingdom," Ty Lee countered, no hints of accusation in her voice. "Maybe they're upset that Aang let the Fire Nation people stay in Earth Kingdom territory."

"Or maybe," Zuko said with a biting tone, "it was someone who wants to just start chaos."

"Are you saying it was the Xi Lang?" Suki asked, picking up her pace so she was at Zuko's side. "But Katara said they were all wiped out when they rescued you."

Zuko shook his head and scowled. "They used my crown. It had gone missing the night I was kidnapped. What kind of crazy coincidence would it be that the person who attacked Aang used _my_ crown, and didn't kill him? Someone is trying to send a message, and the Xi Lang are the only ones capable of taking down Aang in such a way."

The very thought made Zuko's heart turn cold, and suddenly he had a anxious desire to get back to Katara as soon as possible.

* * *

Katara sniffed and rubbed her eyes on her shoulder, but she never stopped focusing her bending on Aang's wound. She poured her heart and soul into stitching him back together, inch by agonizing inch of his deep puncture. As much as she hated to admit it, healing Aang reminded Katara of when she was healing Zuko, but this time it was actually her fault that her ex-boyfriend got hurt.

If she hadn't broken up with him, he wouldn't have fled to Yu Dao. If he wasn't in Yu Dao, then he wouldn't be dying by an assassin's hand.

This was all her fault.

She felt the onset prickling in her eyes from more tears- enough had already been shed on the way here from the Fire Nation- but she blinked them away to the best of her ability. She couldn't be crying when she needed to be focusing on getting Aang better.

His uneven and ragged breathing wasn't helping her stop.

The fact that two of the most important men in her life had been so close to dying in the past few months, it was unnerving. Who would be next? Would it be Toph, due to her influence in the Earth Kingdom and her metalbending abilities? Would it be Suki, the leader of an elite group of warriors? Would it be Sokka, the next Chief of the Southern Water Tribe? She hated even thinking about her friends being targeted. It was all because of their part in ending the war. First Zuko, then Aang. There were too many things connecting the attacks on their lives, and it chilled Katara to her bones.

Too engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't hear the commotion in the halls behind her. It wasn't until the door to the room was opened that she snapped her attention to the intruder behind her and brought her water up to attack.

Though as soon as her eyes were on the unexpected guest, the water dropped and her mouth opened in silent shock.

"Hello, Katara."

* * *

The second Zuko stepped back into the compound, Xing Ying ran towards him, panic written all over her face. Zuko feared the worst.

"Fire Lord Zuko!" she panted, skidding to a stop in front of him before continuing, "A stranger... she said she knew you all... went to the Avatar's bedroom... I couldn't stop her..."

Zuko didn't wait for her to finish. Dread chilled his blood and he sprinted down the hall that Xing Ying had come from. Right at the end, he looked to the left and right, not really knowing where Aang's room was, before he took a wild guess and ran down the right hall. He heard Suki and Ty Lee yelling for him, but he paid them no attention. Someone was going to Aang's room and they didn't know who it was. For all they knew, it could be another assassin. They couldn't take that kind of chance with the Avatar.

The last door in the hall had an airbending symbol on the wall above, so he bet his life that it was Aang's designated room. Without knocking, he stormed in and raised his fist, ready to fight the intruder.

Though, he stopped in his tracks as soon as he laid eyes upon the guest.

Her hair was pulled into a loose bun, so different than the way she wore it before, and she was wearing a thick travelling cloak over her regular clothes. He could only guess how many knives were hidden underneath.

She turned her head in his direction, cool hazel eyes spotting him, and she responded to his appearance, "Hello, Zuko."

Swallowing, he finally found the words that had lost him the moment he returned to the compound: "Mai."

* * *

 _tbc._

* * *

 _Updated 11 May 2017._


	5. Old Wounds

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender._

 _ **A/N** I'm back! But just for this chapter. I have no clue when I'm going to update again._

 _Also, would you guys like smut in this or should I keep it sfw?_

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Old Wounds**

* * *

"Mai."

She turned to face him fully, her face blank and eyes focused solely on him. It was unsettling, frankly, to see his ex-girlfriend here of all places. Not to mention the fact she had gotten into the Avatar's bedroom without a fight and was basically hovering over his prone body. To be honest, he didn't like this at all.

Zuko scowled and he stood up straight, but not in one bit lowering his guard. "Why are you here?"

Mai looked over his shoulder, spotting a defensive Ty Lee finally entering the room, and sighed, "Well, this wasn't the welcome I expected."

"You basically broke into the Air Acolytes's compound and entered the Avatar's bedroom without permission," Zuko retorted, frown deepening. "This coming after you had disappeared from the Fire Nation without a trace over a year ago, making this surprise visit a little suspicious. What do you want?"

Mai eyed everyone around her, then over her shoulder towards Katara, who seemed to still be in shock that she was even here. They all had eased out of their fighting stances, but the wariness in their eyes told her they were distrustful of her sudden appearance. When she turned back to Zuko, she took a small step forward to him. "I'd like to speak with you privately, if that's okay."

"That's no way to address your Fire Lord," Suki said over his shoulder, her voice scathing. The tension in the room was stifling, and Zuko just wanted to back out and leave Katara alone to heal Aang.

"Suki, there's no need-"

Mai sighed again, interrupting him. "Fine." She bowed her head slightly, in respect to him- even if it was just an act on her part- and she said plainly, "Your Majesty, I would like to request a private audience with you. It's urgent."

Zuko's frown was stuck on his face, and his eyes narrowing. Her attitude wasn't helping with the unease surrounding them all. "Audience granted. Let's leave Katara alone to heal the Avatar. You and I can meet in the office down the hall. Suki, Ty Lee, guard the door."

Behind Mai, Zuko could see Katara's weary eyes widen in concern, but he gave her a small smile of reassurance before turning around and following Suki out of the room. Ty Lee was on their tail, and Zuko could feel her eyes flickering in between him and Mai as they made their way to the spare office on the other side of the wing.

As soon as Zuko entered the office, he sat on the creaky desk and folded his arms over his chest. Mai stood in front of him, hands clasped in her sleeves, as she watched Suki stand behind her. Ty Lee looked like she wanted to remain in the office, but Zuko gave her a sharp look telling her to stay outside. He glanced at Suki, giving her the same message, and the Kyoshi Captain reluctantly left the former partners alone.

Right when the door clicked shut, Zuko glared at Mai and gritted his teeth. "You better have a good explanation for this visit."

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't have a good reason to be," Mai replied evenly, eyes bored. Zuko kept on glaring, waiting for her to say something else. He wasn't going to give her the luxury of pleasant conversation. Mai sighed and dropped her hands. "You look good, Zuko. Considering what happened."

"I'm not interested in flattery, Mai," he said sharply. "Why are you here?"

Mai's eyes flickered down to the floor, then she met his gaze once more. With a deep breath, she said, "I have information regarding the people who attacked you and Aang. I'm not supposed to know about it, but I do."

Zuko's eyes narrowed. "And how did you come about this information?"

Mai sat in the chair across from the desk and rested her cheek on her hand. "Do you remember my father?"

Zuko nodded.

"He has organized a group called the New Ozai Society," Mai remarked. Zuko felt his heart skip and his chest tighten. He had heard that name once or twice, knowing their intentions, but had no idea Bau Li was the leader. Mai shrugged and continued, "He tried recruiting me soon after you and I broke up. He was wanting me to infiltrate the palace and feed him information about you and your movements as Fire Lord. He wanted me to get back together with you in order to collect more secrets about your inner workings and your council. Unfortunately for him, I declined and left. He's tried multiple times to recruit me, but I keep turning him down."

"So what does this have to do with the attacks?" Zuko asked, unfolding his arms and resting them near his hips.

Mai sighed and looked towards the window to her right. "I met someone, Kei Lo... He had initially tried to trick me into joining at the bidding of my father. After I left, he reached out to me again, telling me that after I stood up to my father he realized he didn't want to follow the intentions of the organization. He started acting as a spy for me within the ranks, feeding me information about their inner workings. He's been moving higher and higher, getting more and more classified information as time goes on. Recently, he informed me of a kidnap attempt orchestrated by the New Ozai Society's recent business partner, the Xi Lang."

Zuko's eyes widened and he stood up straight, looking down at Mai as she continued.

"The kidnap was a success, but the execution was not," she added in a robotic tone. Her eyes met his once more, shining in earnest when she stated, "I had no idea they had plans to capture you. If I had, I would have come straight to the Fire Nation and warned you. But the Xi Lang operate separately than my father's men, so they had no part in the plan."

Zuko turned away from her and rubbed his eyes with his fingertips. He walked towards the window and stared out towards Yu Dao, witnessing the bustle of the citizens' daily lives. They had no idea what was going on, how close they were to losing their allies in the Fire Lord and the Avatar to the hands of rebels. He looked down to the window sill. "Did the New Ozai Society have any part in the attack on Aang?"

"Yes," Mai replied. "According to Kei Lo, a group of men from both the Xi Lang and New Ozai Society had been a part of the attack, but only a Xi Lang member had been the one to sneak into Aang's room and deal the blow."

"I thought the Xi Lang were taken out when Katara and Aang rescued me."

"That was just a small platoon that was wiped out. The Xi Lang is headed by a man named Takeshi, who operates from behind the scenes. No one knows anything about him except that he is an earthbender of tremendous skill. Plus Kei Lo says the only person who knows what this man even looks like is my father and a few of his own men. This partnership is apparently very one-sided. The Xi Lang's leader calls all the shots and my father carries out the orders. It's causing some dissent but not enough to break the ranks."

Zuko looked at her over his shoulder, ignoring the shivers he was getting at the thought of this new enemy. "Do you know how many men are at their disposal?"

Mai shook her head. "Kei Lo doesn't have access to that information."

Zuko turned and faced Mai, doing his best not to show his fear of the unknown. "Is there anything else you would like to disclose?"

"That's all the information I have," Mai stated as she stood and approached him. "I wish I could tell you more, but all I know is they're planning something big. I just don't know what."

Zuko scowled and looked to his feet. If the Xi Lang and New Ozai Society were to attack, he'd be defenseless. He only has his swords, no bending, and his body was still recovering from the torture and neglect he endured while in captivity. Facing more men like Yura would take a lot out of Zuko, and since Aang was also out of commission that meant they were even more helpless. Katara is a master, as is Toph, but only two members of the Kyoshi Guard were here and despite them and Sokka being skilled in combat, there was only so much they could do against an army of ruthless rogues.

Mai's hand on his shoulder shook him from his thoughts and he looked up. Her eyes were sincere, as was her soft smile. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in. But I wouldn't be here if I didn't think it was important."

"Right." He shook off her shoulder and looked away. He hated being near her right now. It may have been over a year since they broke up, but he could still feel the bitter sting of her leaving. She was right, there was no reason for her to be here unless she had to be, and obviously it's not because she was concerned about his well-being. It's only to protect the Fire Nation.

"Zuko?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"I wish we could be better about this," she remarked earnestly. "I want to be friends with you, to be your ally, but I feel like you keep pushing me away."

"It's hard not to after you left me," he spat without looking at her fully.

Mai frowned. "You gave me no choice. I did what I had to do. Being with you was detrimental to me and my own well-being. I worried so much about you that I stopped taking care of myself. That's not fair to me and you know it."

With a scoff, Zuko turned to her and glared down. "At least be honest with me about it. I'm not a child."

"You're not, but you _are_ the king of the Fire Nation, and I had no intention on being its queen."

He turned away from her once more, then walked past her towards the desk. "If I had known that, I wouldn't have asked you to be by my side."

"You had more important things to think about than a girlfriend," Mai replied softly. "I know that you're doing better now that I'm not around. I heard you found your mom, and you implemented a new education program at the schools? You do so many good things for your people, Zuko. And I didn't help you at all with it. You need someone who wants to be there at your side for the right reasons, and can deal with the setbacks of you being Fire Lord. I couldn't."

"That's a coward's excuse and you know it," Zuko stated, facing her once more. "If you ask me, you don't any reasons except selfish ones. What you did, it hurt. And you left at a point in my life where I needed you the most. Luckily I had other friends who stuck around, even after everything that happened. Now we're all better than ever. If you want to be my friend too, then you have to earn it by acting like one."

Mai stared at the floor, shame flowing off of her in waves, and Zuko suddenly felt remorse for the biting words he had said. He almost felt bad enough to apologize, but she needed to hear these things, just like he needed to get them off his chest.

"I don't expect you to love me anymore," she murmured. "And I know that you don't want me to be your friend, at least not for a while. But at least let me be your ally and help you take down the men that plan on destroying your whole kingdom."

Zuko sighed. "Your information will help us greatly, Mai, as will your knowledge of the organization and its members. However, I am not inclined to trust you with a close position to me yet, considering the circumstances of your obtaining of this information. It would be wise for you to return to your own base of operations and continue to aid us with any information you acquire."

Mai narrowed her eyes at him, having lifted them to his face as he spoke, and she replied acerbically, "If I may be so bold, but you would be completely in the unknown about this without me. You need my help."

He met her glare with his own. "And I will have it, but on my terms. Don't forget, I am the Fire Lord and my word is law. I need you to continue with your espionage without the people knowing you are in cahoots with me. It will be easier for us to keep tabs on their movements if they don't know you're feeding me information."

Mai continued to glare, but her tone became softer, "That might not work, but I won't argue, _my Lord_. You just need to know that it might be hard to get a good lead on them when even my father doesn't know everything going on. The Xi Lang operate on their own, the New Ozai Society is just tagging along because they have a similar enemy: you."

Zuko nodded and made a step towards the door. "I know. And thank you. We would have been in the dark without your intel."

Mai followed him, but soon she stepped in front of the door, blocking his way. She glanced up at him and warned, "They know that you and Katara are getting close. Keep a watchful eye on her. They might go through her to get to you."

He frowned and pushed past her. "Katara is a master waterbender who defeated a whole platoon of Xi Lang soldiers. It's them who need to keep a watchful eye on themselves."

"You're a master firebender and they bested you," Mai remarked, causing him to halt his steps. The memory of his attack flashed through his head, as well as Yura's frightening face, and the sensation of panic was starting to bubble up to the surface again. Without noticing his duress, Mai added, "Just because she's a master doesn't mean she's indestructible. You guys need to watch your backs."

Zuko did his best to calm his breathing, ignoring Mai's imploring gaze, and he nodded stiffly before opening the door. Suki and Ty Lee stepped out of his way and followed him as he made his way out of the compound. As soon as he stepped outside, he turned and face the Kyoshi Warriors and his ex.

"Mai, it was a pleasure seeing you," he stated as flatly as he could. He saw her eyes flash in annoyance, but he ignored it. "If you learn anything else, send me a hawk."

"Of course, Fire Lord Zuko," Mai said through gritted teeth. "Thank you for your time."

He nodded and without another word turned away from her and headed back inside. Before the door closed behind him, he heard Ty Lee speak to Mai lowly and Suki admonish the knife-wielder for her poor timing. Zuko had to smile to himself; those two really knew how to lay it on someone if need be.

Zuko made his way towards Aang's room, mostly to get an update on his wounds, but also to see if Katara was doing okay. She seemed to be taking the brunt of the guilt surrounding the attack, regardless of how little of the responsibility fell on her shoulders, and Zuko only wanted to make her feel better again. It's the least he could do for her.

To his shock, as soon as he reached towards the handle of the door, a loud explosion from outside shook the entire building. Panic seeped into his bones again and Zuko threw the door open to see Katara standing next to Aang, whose gray eyes were barely open as he scanned the room. Katara stared at Zuko in fear, who in turn ran to the window and looked out towards the city.

On the outskirts of Yu Dao was the Fire Nation airship, now engulfed in black and red flames, next to what had been Toph's metalbending school, which was reduced to rubble.

* * *

 _tbc._

* * *

 _Updated 11 May 2017._


	6. Aching Heart

_Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA._

 _ **A/N** This whole story has been revised and edited to be much more awesome. On that note, this story is set to be about 12-13 chapters long, depending if I end it the original way I had intended. Anyway, here's wonderwall._

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Aching Heart**

* * *

Zuko whirled around and looked Katara in the eyes, his own fear mirrored in her stricken face. He blinked a few times, then shook himself out of his stupor right as an acolyte entered the room.

He snapped his gaze to her and immediately he went into what Toph called his Fire Lord Mode: "Miss, I need you to get Avatar Aang to a safe location. If there's a bunker or safe room in this building, take him there now. We can't have him further injured."

"Yes, sir."

Katara was watching him as she stood. "I can't leave him."

Zuko met her imploring stare once more, eyes softening, and nodded. "I know. I need to go help. My people were on that ship."

"I know..."

"Katara..."

Both benders snapped their eyes to Aang, who had croaked out her name as he tried to sit up. Katara knelt down and helped him, but he waved her away with a weak hand. "You need to go help him."

Katara stared incredulously at her ex. "What? No, I need to keep you safe."

Aang shook his head, slow like he was either drunk or drugged. "Go help Zuko. They could use you."

"What about you? You're still wounded."

Aang lifted his head and gave her a lopsided smile. "I'll be fine. They need you more than me."

They kept each other's gaze for a moment, Katara's eyes hard and resolute, while Aang's were soft and understanding. Katara spun around to look at Zuko, begging with her eyes for him to say he didn't need her help. But all Zuko could do was shrug, he couldn't change the Avatar's mind. She sighed and stood, grabbing her empty water pouch in the process and stomping towards the door. The two benders left in the room turned to each other, shrugged simultaneously, and Zuko turned on his heel to follow the waterbender out of the room.

"Zuko."

He stopped and looked over his shoulder at the Avatar. Aang kept his eyes on his friend as the acolyte helped him to his feet.

"Take care of her."

Zuko nodded and clenched his fist, suddenly not having the strength to verbalize a response.

* * *

Katara heard his light steps as he ran towards her, even amid the chaos of the attack. Instinctively, she pulled water from the air and a nearby bush and pushed it into her canteen. It was strapped to her hip instantly and she tightened her wrist wraps as Zuko reached her side.

"We need a plan."

"You're the Fire Lord," Katara stated, "it's your ship. What do you want to do?"

"Rescue the people inside first," Zuko said immediately. "We'll deal with whoever attacked once my people are safe."

Katara smiled warmly up at her friend and the glimmer she was so used to seeing in the gold seemed to swim with affection as he nodded and started to run towards the burning ship. On the other side of the gates of Yu Dao, Zuko and Katara were greeted with mayhem. The hull of the airship was melted and breaking into pieces. Firebenders on Zuko's crew were doing their best to bend the flames away from the city - an act that made Katara's heart swell with gratuity - as others escorted the remaining people from the inside of the ship.

There was an unknown woman directing them, shouting orders and helping catch people as they jumped from out of the ship. Soot covered her face, but did not obscure the vivid color of her eyes as they locked onto the Fire Lord.

Zuko didn't say anything as he ran to her side and started helping her catch crew members as they leapt from above. Over the roar of the fire, she couldn't hear what Zuko was saying to her, but it didn't appear to be friendly. The anger in his eyes was evident, as much as it had been when he found Mai in Aang's room less than a half an hour ago.

Oh how much had happened since then.

Feeling useless, Katara ran towards the group of nonbending crew members, water withdrawn.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"Nothing we can't handle, Master Katara," one man coughed as he removed his helmet. He grinned widely as he reassured her, "We're all fine."

"Are you sure?"

Another approached her and agreed, "We've seen worse."

The first crew member added, "There's nothing we can do to help the fire, but we can help you if you need it."

Katara frowned and her eyes traveled to the rubble of Toph's school. "Help me find out if anyone was inside the metalbending school."

Five men followed her as she raced up the stairs, avoiding rocks and burning rubble before coming to what had been the front door. Her heart started to crack when she gazed upon the destruction; the entire roof had collapsed, now in millions of pieces. There was glass strewn about the grass, mixed with splintered wood and pebbles. Her stomach clenched when she started pulling the rubble away from the pile.

Toph had been inside.

 _Sokka_ had been inside.

Her eyes burned, and not from the raging fire behind her.

"Look out!"

Katara snapped her head up and barely had enough time to avoid a flaming arrow that had been aimed right for her head. Immediately she stood and pulled the water from her pouch, and sent a barrage of icicles towards the hill above them. They were quickly dissolved in a wave of flames, sweeping across the sky as a group of masked men leapt from the plateau, poised for attack.

Right as she reached to pull more water from the air, the ground began rumbling and the destruction that had been Toph's school was blown into the air, clipping the masked men and hindering their attack. Katara covered her eyes and watched as Toph emerged with Sokka, his arm slung over her shoulder and head down.

Katara sprinted to her friend and took Sokka from her arms. "What happened? Are you guys okay?"

Toph turned towards the attackers and readied herself for their attack. "No time to talk, Sugar Queen. Get him somewhere safe and I'll take care of these guys."

Katara nodded and carried Sokka down the stairs, past the Zuko's crew members who had taken up arms with Toph, and towards the gates of Yu Dao. Sokka coughed and his eyes clenched as she set him down on the other side of the wall, away from the destruction. She gathered some water and applied it to the bleeding wound on his forehead, then observed his body for any other injuries.

Luckily he seemed mostly unharmed, but his consciousness was wavering.

"Kat..."

"Hush, bro, you're fine."

"What happened?"

She glanced at him and saw the delirium in his eyes as he tried to focus on the chaos around them. "Toph?"

"She's fine," Katara murmured as she cleaned the blood of his forehead.

Sokka blinked the bleariness away and stared at his sister, realization becoming clearer as he became more focused. "There was a bomb. In the academy. Toph sensed it and tried to smother it but it went off-"

"Everything's fine," Katara cut in, finishing with healing him before she cleaned the water and put it back in her canteen. "No one was hurt. But right now we need to get back over there and help."

Sokka looked over her shoulder as she helped him stand, watching with horror as the rest of Zuko's ship went up in flames. There was screaming from inside of the city, but luckily all of Zuko's firebenders made sure none of the destruction reached the walls.

Unsteadily, Sokka drew his sword and glared at the men Toph and her metalbenders were fighting. Zuko's crew seemed to be holding their own as well, but it seemed like an unending amount of masked men kept leaping out from the trees and adding to the attack.

Some of these masked men were benders, deflecting earth with fire and thrusting their own boulders down the hill. Katara could see Zuko leaving the side of his ship, determined as he drew his swords and rushed into battle. Sokka tugged on her arm and they were quickly following, running as fast as they could to reach Toph's side. Out of the corner of her eye, Katara saw Suki and Ty Lee, taking down multiple men with their own combined skills. She smirked with pride as Ty Lee leapt over a man and landed a swift kick at the base of his neck, rendering him in an unconscious heap in the dirt.

Right as she was in range, Katara swept a wave of water under the feet of five men, knocking them over and giving her the chance to disarm.

She spotted Zuko grinning at her as he knocked the pummel of his sword against the stomach of his foe, then kicked him down onto the ground. From behind him, she saw a man - an earthbender - lifting a boulder the size of Appa's head over his shoulders and preparing to throw it at the Fire Lord. Her eyes went wide and for a moment, time halted as he registered her warning and went to attack before Toph leapt in and smashed the boulder with her head.

A collective sigh of relief came out of both benders, but this wasn't over yet. Katara turned around to see three more men approaching her, ready to strike.

She needed to focus.

* * *

After striking down the man Toph disarmed, he nodded his thanks at the petite earthbender before rushing to take on another attacker. From the looks of these men, Zuko could only assume they were members of the Xi Lang and New Ozai Society. They seemed to be focusing their attacks mainly on him and Katara, if his observations served him correctly. Toph's school being destroyed was probably the plan all along, with his ship being an added perk to the destruction. He would be a betting man when he also assumed that Toph and Sokka being in the school was intentional when they struck, knowing how much that would cripple their defenses.

They probably just underestimated Toph's pure badassery and thought she would have gone down a lot easier.

A kick to the throat of another masked man cleared his mind of these thoughts. Right now, he needed to take out these men before anyone got hurt.

"ZUKO! WATCH OUT!"

At the sound of Suki shouting his name, Zuko whirled around, ducking beneath another boulder that had almost clipped him right in the head. His eyes caught sight of the attacker and he drew a knife from his boot, throwing it right at them before getting in a more balanced stance. The earthbender was pinned to the ground and he dashed over, kicked them in the head to knock them out, and sprinted towards another foe. But just as he rose up his swords to attack, he saw Katara fighting off three members of the Xi Lang, and a fourth was aiming an arrow right at her head.

Panic seized his heart and his mind went blank.

Fear and rage clawed at his throat as time seemed to stop entirely.

His brain was starting to scream at him.

 _Protect her._

 _Protect her._

 _Protect her._

His heart started to pick up and a sudden memory flashed behind his eyes; lightning dancing across a red sky, wide blue eyes frozen in fear, his voice echoing off the old stones of the courtyard.

 _"NO!"_

In his panic and desperation, Zuko thrust out his fist in a desperate and futile attempt to save her. He knew nothing would come out, like it had for so long. He wouldn't be able to hit the archer in time, but he had to try something.

Time was still slow, and Zuko watched in awe as a large and bright orange flame shot out from his hand and towards the archer, lighting up the entire clearing and shocking everyone around him. Zuko stared at his fist for a moment, then his eyes lifted to see Katara looking at him with an amazed gaze.

He could bend again.

Quickly, he darted to the men surrounding her and swept them away with a fiery kick. She looked grateful and proud when he landed at her side, but he couldn't revel in the victory quite yet. In their fear of the Fire Lord's triumphant return, the masked men started to retreat up the cliff, using their bending and superb climbing skills to scamper away like frightened dogs.

"Follow them!" Zuko shouted to whoever was left standing. "We can't let them get away!"

When he looked around, Zuko saw Sokka, Katara, Toph, Suki, Ty Lee, Hera, and Mai start heading up the cliff with him. Some of his men lingered behind, unable to assist or too injured to go on. There were a few metalbenders left but he heard Toph order them to stay put and help with fixing the damage made by the bombs and ensuing fight.

Toph earthbent a platform for the group to stand on before pushing it up to the top of the cliff. Immediately, they were ambushed with more arrows, boulders, and waves of fire. Zuko, Katara, and Toph deflected most of the blasts while the nonbenders rushed in to take out the assailants on the front line. By his estimate, there was at least thirty people attacking them, striking with flurries of arrows and barrages of fire. If Zuko didn't know better, he'd say there were some classically trained members of the military in their ranks, trying to strike him and his friends down.

Zuko watched as Sokka assisted Suki as she jumped into the air, over five different soldiers, and attack them while she fell from above. Nearby Mai and Ty Lee were back to back, striking at their foes with knives and fists, respectively. Zuko took his chance to join the fray, revitalized with his unlocked bending, and thrust a flaming fist at the closest masked attacker. He connected solidly with the nose of the mask, cracking it as the person crumpled to the ground in a graceless heap.

Katara and Toph followed his lead and stopped their defensive maneuvers. Their attacks were long, reaching the archers at the edge of the trees. Zuko finally spotted Hera, near the tree line and distracting many of the archers there with her rope dart and bending. Katara seemed to follow her lead and was running up the hill, pulling water out of the grass as she did, and began taking out some of the men stationed there.

After Zuko disarmed and knocked out one more person, he ran towards them, his feet propelling him faster than he thought possible, and he snatched an arrow out of the air right before it would have sank itself in Katara's shoulder. She smiled at him with gratitude and soon the rest of their friends reached their sides.

It seemed like the masked men were finished, but the distinct rumbling of the earth alerted them that this wasn't quite over yet.

Deep laughter echoed through the trees and Zuko felt his teeth grit.

He knew deep down that these were the men responsible for Aang's injury, and for the destruction outside of Yu Dao.

They had to pay.

Before he could stop himself, he was running into the forest, leaving the rest of his friends behind.

* * *

"Zuko, wait!"

The Fire Lord disappeared into the darkness of the forest, chasing after the few remaining attackers that hadn't been defeated and bound in metal, courtesy of Toph.

Sokka groaned from Katara's left, rubbing his face in the process, and he said in exasperation, "I guess we better follow him."

"It's that type of behavior that got him captured," Mai grumbled from behind her. Katara glared at her from over her shoulder, but didn't say anything. Instead, she ventured through the trees, behind Zuko's disappearing form, keeping an eye out for any hidden masked men. Suddenly, she ran right into Zuko's back and they tumbled onto the forest floor.

Her face was still pressed against his back, but their legs seemed to not understand how to work because they were soon bent awkwardly around each other. Zuko tried rolling over, but that only resulted with a face full of Katara's hair and an elbow in his side. She apologized in a mumble but they were starting to have a hard time righting themselves.

Sokka and Suki reached them next, snickering to themselves as the Fire Lord and waterbending master disentangled themselves, blushing like children.

"Why did you stop?" Toph asked as soon as she reached the small clearing.

Zuko stood, offering his hand to Katara, before helping her stand and replying, "I lost them. I could hear someone laughing, and I followed the sound. Then it just stopped. Right here."

Katara looked around, eyeing the trees and the ground beneath her feet. It looked to her to have once been a campground for someone not too long ago. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted a thin crack in the ground, and she kneeled down to get a better look.

The work of earthbending, no doubt.

"Katara, move!"

Her head snapped up and landed on Toph, who was bending the earth away with Sokka, Mai, and Ty Lee at her side. The ground started to shake, more so than it had when Toph started bending, and the crack beneath her knees began growing, splitting faster than she could comprehend. Suddenly she was falling, into the chasm left by the moving earth and her heart leapt into her throat.

 _Oh, what would I do to be an airbender right now!_

Something grabbed her wrist and held her from falling any further. Jarred from her abrupt stop, Katara shook her head and looked up to see Zuko holding her wrist, Suki holding his other hand to keep him from falling in, as well. The frightened look on his face was unsettling, but she couldn't pause to think on it too much because he was suddenly hoisting her up with all of his strength and pulling them both out of the newly-formed fissure.

As soon as they reached level ground, Katara wrapped her arms around his shoulders and murmured her thanks before scrambling away and getting to her feet. Zuko didn't seemed fazed or distracted, instead his focus seemed to grow as he stood and surveyed the trees around them once more. The sounds of attacks landing caught her attention and Katara whirled around to see her friends on the other side of the fissure fighting more of the masked men.

She would have gladly gone over to help them, but the gap between the two areas was too great for her to cross. No one would be able to. She could guess it was at least four Appa's across, at least, and too deep to even see the bottom. Zuko and Suki seemed to have the same realization, because they all stood helplessly as they watched their friends be driven into the woods by attackers that seemed to just materialize out of the trees like magic.

"We need to get out of here," Hera spoke up from behind them.

"We need to go help them," Zuko said tersely.

"And how do you plan on doing that, Fire Lord?" Hera snapped, causing Zuko to glare at her. "We can't cross here, and who knows how far across this thing goes. We might not be able to find the other end and get back here in time to help them. What we need to do is go somewhere safe and hide out, then get back to Yu Dao. This is a fight we can't win."

"I think Hera's right," Suki piped up from Zuko's right. Katara watched as he looked at her with torn eyes, frowning even deeper when he looked over his shoulders again to see the rest of their group had vanished in the forest. "As much as it pains me to say this, we can't logically go help them. We need to protect ourselves and get somewhere safe, and fast. Yu Dao was on the other side of that canyon, so we're stuck out here until we find another way around."

After staring at Suki for a long minute, Zuko sighed and looked forward, "I remember seeing an old abandoned cabin to the east as I was running. It should be on the same side as us, if I guess right. We can stay there for the night. We're all too tired to fight, and those men must be too."

"Someone can keep watch while the others rest," Katara added, causing Zuko's eyes to go to her and soften when she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Those four can take care of themselves. I know it."

He gave her a small smile before walking forward into the woods. Katara risked one last glance behind her before following him and the other two girls into the darkness.

* * *

Toph was dusting her hands off, finally finished with the last of the masked men they beat, when she heard Sokka hiss out in pain. She could feel him leaning against a tree, his heart racing uncomfortably, and his hand was pressed against his abdomen.

"Sokka?"

"I'm fine," he said in a tight voice before removing his hand and cussing under his breath.

"Sokka, you're bleeding!" Ty Lee exclaimed as she rushed to his side. Toph watched Ty Lee help Sokka to the ground and shrug off her shirt. "Why didn't you say anything?"

He groaned while she pressed her wadded shirt against his wound. "I didn't know it was this bad."

Mai reached Toph's side and crossed her arms in her sleeves. "Where are we?"

Toph stomped her foot into the dirt, noticing the chasm in the earth where they had been split up, and the city to the west. "About five miles from Yu Dao."

"How did this happen?"

"You're asking the wrong person, babe," Toph snorted before plopping herself down on the ground. "I was just minding my own business, getting some things from the academy, when it blew up. Luckily I was there or all of my students would have been toast. I felt the tremors before anything started, and was about to smother the explosion, when Zuko's ship blew up and distracted me. I've been on autopilot since."

Mai hummed and sat next to her - a little more graciously, Toph had to admit - and replied, "Where are the others?"

Toph placed her hand on the ground and reached out. In the furthest reach of her seismic sight, she saw Zuko, Katara, Suki, and some stranger walking in the direction of an abandoned brick house. It was in the direction of Yu Dao, but based on the smell of the air and the dropping temperature, Toph knew it was getting too dark to try to travel back to the city.

"We need to find shelter," she declared to the others. "We don't know if any of those guys will be coming back to finish us off. And we need to get Sokka somewhere safe for the time being."

She stomped her foot against the ground once more and immediately pointed northeast. "There's a cave not fifty yards from here. Let's go there and rest for the night."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Ty Lee chirped. Toph watched as she knelt down and wrapped Sokka's arms around her shoulders - despite his loud protests - and hoisted him onto her shoulders like he was nothing more than a bag of feathers. She quickly made her way towards the cave, with Mai and Toph lagging behind.

"You're worried about him," Mai said abruptly. Toph frowned, but didn't reply, so Mai continued, "It's clear as day on your face. And you could have easily just made us shelter right there."

"If we stayed there, we could be found more easily," Toph declared. "If we move away from where we were last fighting, those guys won't be able to find us again for a while."

"Says you."

"Says the earthbender who just saved your ass."

Mai didn't say anything, instead striding faster and closer to Ty Lee as they found themselves in front of the cave. As soon as Sokka was set down, Ty Lee jogged out of the cave, saying something about logs and fire. Mai followed suit, still not speaking as she slunk out back into the woods. Toph quickly - but not too quickly, she decided - went to Sokka's side. Unfortunately due to the events of the day, they had no supplies. And Katara was miles away from them now, so Sokka was going to have to be patched up the good old fashioned way.

"How bad is it?"

Sokka chuckled a little and shrugged. "Nothing but a scratch. I'll be fine."

Toph frowned. "You're lying."

He shifted minutely and turned his head towards her. "I promise I'll be fine."

"It smells like blood," Toph remarked. "You're soaking through Ty Lee's shirt."

Sokka adjusted the shirt on his wound and he shook his head. "It's not, I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," he stated with confidence. His free hand grabbed hers and he squeezed it tightly. "It's not that bad. It'll scab over before I lose too much blood."

Toph went to reply but Mai and Ty Lee came back into the cave, both carrying arm fulls of wood. Toph stood and bent a pit in the earth, perfect for the wood, and bent a makeshift chimney in the ceiling to direct the smoke away from their hiding spot. She heard Sokka compliment the idea under his breath and she grinned to herself before sitting back down next to him.

Ty Lee stacked some of the wood in the pit while Mai dragged a knife against the ground to send out some sparks. Soon enough, the sounds of a crackling fire and it's resulting warmth were filling the cave. Toph appreciated the idea, especially since the weather was starting to turn. On that thought, Toph stood and made her way to the mouth of the cave, where she bent up a wall to block anyone from coming in. The only hole in the wall was the size of her head near the left side of the wall, enough to let in air but not a person.

It was the most she could do for now.

* * *

"This is... a little less than a home, don't you think?"

Zuko sneered over his shoulder at Hera before heading inside. "It's better than nothing. And it's getting to dark to travel back to Yu Dao. So we'll stay here over night."

"It doesn't even have a complete roof!"

"If I had wanted your opinion, Hera, I would have asked."

"I'm just trying to make you realize the flaw in this plan."

Zuko turned on his heel so he could glare down his nose at her. "What would prefer? Camping in the woods with no supplies and no shelter?"

Hera grinned condescendingly at him, but Suki slid between them, pushing them away from each other as she interjected, "Zuko's right, Hera. This is better than continuing in the dark or being out in the open. Zuko, stop being so grouchy. We wouldn't be out here if you hadn't been impulsive and ran off by yourself."

Zuko stared at Suki, suddenly feeling betrayed by a close friend, and he exclaimed, "If I hadn't-"

"Don't you dare say that we wouldn't have caught who was behind the attack," Suki snapped, poking him in the chest. "We didn't. And now the group is split up. So I'll listen to you about finding shelter, but otherwise you don't have any right to say it was the best thing to do."

Zuko grumbled under his breath, that betrayal increasing tenfold, but stayed otherwise silent. From over her head, Zuko could see Hera smirking with triumph, and his mood soured considerably.

"Wait, so who exactly are you?"

His eyes flickered to Katara, who was staring at Hera like she just noticed the other woman. Or had just found the words to speak and couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Oh, Zuko didn't tell you?" Hera replied in that sticky sweet tone of hers. "I'm his personal body guard until he finds a new one."

Katara glanced at Zuko, obviously confused still, and asked, "Is this a recent development? Because I don't remember Zuko telling me about you."

"It's because my mother decided it for me," Zuko growled. He stomped away from the girls and into what was essentially a different room. Before he turned the corner, he called out over his shoulder, "If I were anyone else, you'd be charged for disobeying your Fire Lord!"

He heard Hera mumble something, but he didn't pay her any more attention. Instead, he pressed his back against the wall and rubbed his eyes with his sooty fingers. Not two seconds later, Katara rounded the corner and leaned her shoulder against the wall as she observed him.

Zuko met her eyes and sighed, feeling suddenly weighted, and he sagged against the fragile brick.

"Congrats on getting your bending back," she stated with a small smile. "I knew you could do it."

He smiled wearily and hummed. "Thank you."

"If only we had known that wanting to protect your friends would have unlocked it," Katara mused, "I would have gotten in a fight with someone much sooner."

Zuko scowled. "I would prefer you not doing that."

Her grin widened and she giggled, "Sorry. But I am thankful you protected me. I wouldn't be here if you didn't break past that barrier."

His heart fluttered at the sight of her genuine smile. She inched closer to him, pressing their shoulders together, and Zuko felt the sudden need to hold her close. They had made it through the day.

An absolutely long and horrible day, but they made it nonetheless.

Aang was alive, thanks to her. _She_ was alive thanks to Zuko, but she was also stranded in this forsaken forest thanks to him, too. He sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry I got us stranded out here."

"Eh, we'll be fine."

"We've been separated from the rest of the group, and we have no idea who was attacking us and why." Zuko snorted and opened his eyes. "Well, I know _why_ but that won't change the fact that we're in the middle of a forest at night with no supplies. I have no idea how far we are from Yu Dao, or if any of our friends are safe."

"Have a little more faith in us, Zuko," Katara remarked, and Zuko turned to look at her again. She was smiling still, glittering eyes as soft as her beautiful smile. He felt his breath catch in his throat. She reached out and took his hand with hers. "Everyone will be fine, I promise."

He swallowed and nodded dumbly. He glanced down at their joined hands and began rubbing his thumb back and forth against her knuckles. "I don't know what I would have done if I lost you."

When his eyes darted back up to meet hers, he saw that her cheeks had gone a little ruddy. His heart was starting to hammer in his chest, begging him to say _something_ to her. If nearly losing her to an assassin's arrow or sword and never having the chance to tell her how he truly feels didn't motivate him enough to tell her now, he didn't know what would.

"Katara... I need to tell you something. I-"

She looked away, guilt dulling her bright eyes, and began pulling her hand out of his tightening grip. "Zuko, don't-"

He snatched her hand back to his chest. "No, I need to tell you this because I've been putting it off for far to long."

Their eyes met and he pleaded with her to stay and listen. She pressed her lips together, torn, and Zuko ached with the hope that she would stay and listen. For what felt like a century, Katara relented and turned back towards him. "Okay..."

That hope flared in his chest and Zuko relaxed his grip on her hand. "Okay..." He looked back at the hand cradled within his own and he took a deep breath. "I... care about you. A lot. In fact, more than I thought I really should. You're one of my best friends, and you have done so much for me... But there's something... _more."_ He raised his gaze to meet hers. "When I was captured by Yura, I dreamt about you. I imagined you coming to save me. And even after you did, I kept dreaming of you over and over, no matter how much I tried to deny it there was something _more_ to it than just caring about a friend."

Katara's mouth opened to speak, but she didn't say anything. Instead, her glistening eyes were darting back and forth, looking for the hidden message in his words. Except, there was nothing hidden. He was about to put it out in the open.

"Actually, Katara, I love you. And I have for a pretty long time," he said with a slight laugh. "There's just been too much holding me back from saying it. Except now I know I might not get the chance to say it to you, so I wanted to before everything goes to hell."

"Zuko-"

"I don't expect you to feel the same way," he interjected a little sadly. "With what's going on here right now and everything with Aang, I wouldn't expect you to have any idea how to react. I just wanted you to know, in case something happens."

"Nothing is going to happen," she hissed, causing him to jerk back at her frown. "And that's not a good enough reason to declare your love for someone, Zuko!"

"Wha-?"

Her hands tightened their grip on his and she scowled at him. "Tell me you love me because you want me to know and you can be around for me to give you an answer! Not because you think you're going to die or something along those lines will happen."

Zuko blinked, flabbergasted. "I... wait, what?"

Before he could form a thought, Katara grabbed his collar and pulled him down, pressing a hard kiss onto his lips. Zuko's eyes bulged out of their sockets while he finally processed what was going on.

Katara was kissing him. Truly, literally kissing him. On the lips. With her mouth. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was pressing her body against his, but she was legitimately kissing him.

His heart soared and he melted into the kiss, sighing through his nose as he relaxed his lips against hers. She hummed as Zuko wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. She tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss, opening her mouth at the same time to take his lower lip in between hers. A soft groan was Zuko's answer and he reached up to cup her face, doing whatever he could to get her _closer,_ and _feel_ her.

It was a little sloppy, starting to become a mess of bumped noses and fumbling hands, and right as Zuko fell back against the wall the sound of a clearing throat caused the two to break apart and turn towards the intruder.

Suki was grinning ear to ear, beaming with joy as she took in the sight, but her voice was a little more stern as she stated, "As much as I love seeing you two _finally_ figure this out, we have a problem."

"A problem?" Zuko asked without removing his hands from Katara.

"Hera said she heard something moving in the trees, and it keeps getting louder. Someone or some _thing_ is heading this way."

Zuko and Katara locked eyes, and he noticed hers were wide with shock. He nodded at her once and they began straightening themselves up. Once the residual awkwardness from being caught had ceased, Zuko strode over to Suki. "I saw some loose floorboards in the entryway. We might be able to slip under there and hide until the coast is clear."

"Good idea." Suki nodded and led the way to the main area of the house, where Hera was standing by the broken window and looking out towards the trees. "Hera, Zuko has a plan. Let's get these boards out of the way."

Hera turned her head in their direction, frowning, and made her way over to Suki. "They'll find us under there."

"If they know we were here," Katara commented as she lifted a board with Zuko.

"The door is open and the dust is displaced," Hera remarked acerbically. "If they come upon this place-"

" _If_ they come upon this place," Zuko started in a flat voice, "they'll see we had been here and left. We'll make sure it looks that way."

"And how are we going to do that?" Suki asked from over his shoulder.

Zuko grinned and made his way over to the fireplace. There was some old wood in there, enough to make a small fire, and some more logs and twigs on the floor. "We make a fire and let it burn for a little bit before putting it out."

"We don't know how long it'll be before they get here," Hera countered as Zuko began building the fire. "For all we know they could burst in any minute and foil your little plan."

"I don't need time," Zuko muttered as he lit the fire with a single burst of flame. "I need you to get the walls warm with your firebending, like we've been here for a while."

"Why?"

He glared at her over his shoulder and replied, "Because your Sovereign and charge ordered you to."

Hera held his gaze, unwavering in her frustration and irritation with him, before she sighed and lit a small flame to her palm. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Zuko didn't relent in his glare as she turned around and began running her hot palm against the bricks. Katara approached him right as the logs really caught fire and glanced over at Hera. "So what's with this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Her," she remarked as she kept staring at Hera. "I've never seen or heard of her until we were fighting earlier. Who is she?"

"Honestly?" Zuko stood and brushed off his pants. "No clue. She claims to know Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, but I never met her until right before we left to come here. My mother hired her to take Shun's place until I found myself a permanent body guard. Although I told her no, Hera stowed away and ended up here with us."

He saw Katara's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Awfully convenient."

"What are you getting at?"

She turned to reply, but Hera approached and gave Zuko the most bored look he thought no one but Mai could make. "What exactly was that for?"

"They'll expect us to try to make it look like we didn't come here," Zuko explained as he made his way to where the floorboards were removed. "So by not having a fire, leaving everything untouched, basically that we were never here. If we did that, they would turn this place upside down with the expectation that we didn't actually leave."

Katara lowered herself into the hole, with Hera right behind her. Already inside, Suki asked, "Okay but why the fire?"

Zuko smirked and made his way back over to the fireplace, where he snuffed the fire with his bending and redirected the heat towards the walls. As he came back to the hole and grabbed the loosened floorboards, he replied, "Because I'm creating the illusion that we had been here. The dust and rubble here has already been disturbed, so there's no point in hiding our presence. But if we make it seem like we _had_ been here and then left, they won't spare another second looking for us."

He lowered himself beneath the floor, placing the floorboards back in place over his head and securing them as if they had never been moved. He grinned at the girls with him and added, "The slight heat in the walls will make it seem like we were here for a long period of time. The absence of fire and people will make them think we moved on. We have no supplies or real shelter, so there would be no point in staying here. Logically, at least. But if we stage our departure, they won't linger here and we'll be able to get back to Yu Dao once the sun is back up."

Suki exchanged looks with Katara, but Zuko could only focus on Hera's piercing gaze. She glanced at her, noticed her scowl, and frowned in return. There was nothing he could really do about her opinion of him, that was for certain. As for the woman in front of him, blue eyes wide with concern and fear, he knew he had to protect them all no matter what. This is his job, and his plan. He had to make sure it worked.

"Go ahead and get some sleep," he said to all three of them. "I'll keep watch."

Suki mumbled her disagreement, but it seemed that her exhaustion from the day was stronger than she had thought, and soon she settled down on the uneven earth to sleep. Hera didn't object one bit- and considering that she was his personal guard Zuko was pretty affronted with her apathy - and she laid down on her side with her back to him.

Katara, however, scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Zuko quickly reciprocated the hug, breathing her in, and he murmured against her shoulder, "We'll be fine."

She broke away from the hug, and laid down without a word, laying her head on his folded leg and glancing up at him. "What do we do now?"

Zuko stared up at the floorboards above him, fear starting to weigh on his weary heart, and he replied, "We wait."

* * *

 _tbc._


	7. A Painful Truth

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. I only own the saltiness that runs through my veins at the thought of Zutara not being canon._

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: A Painful Truth**

* * *

Katara woke to the sensation of being shaken. She blinked open her eyes, and she realized she was in complete darkness. Zuko's hand was over her mouth - she could tell by the roughness of his skin - and once her eyes adjusted she could see the faint outline of him staring up at the floorboards above them.

As she looked to her left she could vaguely see Suki's head, but she could definitely tell the Kyoshi Warrior was looking up as well.

She shifted in her spot and Zuko's head jerked downward, his eyes locking on hers. In the darkness, they practically glowed. He slowly lifted his hand off of her mouth, and he gestured up towards their makeshift roof. Above, Katara could hear the sounds of people walking around, searching frantically for them.

"... must've been here!"

"Looks like there was a fire in here! Recently too! It's still got some smoke left."

There were some more steps, growing louder and stopping relatively close to their hiding spot. Probably by what had been the front door. "They're obviously not here, Wan. We better move on."

More footsteps approached, these heavier and uneven, and Katara's chest tightened in fear as they stopped right on the floorboards above she and her friends.

"They couldn't have gone far then," the person replied. Katara assumed this was Wan. "Branch out, search the perimeter. They must have known we were coming and moved on."

"Aye, sir!"

The sound of retreating steps echoed in Katara's ears, and the resounding silence left their crawl space eerily tense. No one bothered to move for what felt like ages, and Katara was certain that the thudding of her beating heart would alert the far away assailants that they were still near the house.

Suki moved first, lithely getting to her feet and loosening one of the floorboards above their heads. Some moonlight poured in and lit up the small space, relieving Katara's eyes. She started to sit up as Suki peered out and glanced around the broken home.

"Looks like we're in the clear," she said before ducking back in to look back at the others.

"Now let's get out of here," Hera suddenly said from behind Katara, startling her. Frankly, Katara had forgotten she was there.

"Those men are out in the woods looking for us now," Suki responded with a sneer. "We've established a safe place. So we're staying put until morning and we have better visibility. As Zuko's bodyguard you should have thought about that."

From above, Zuko grumbled under his breath and Katara grinned up at him. She could tell the whole _bodyguard_ situation didn't sit well with him, and since he had his bending back Hera was even more obsolete. And with Suki's response, it made Katara realize how incompetent Hera was at her job anyway. Her blatant disregard for some of the most obvious dangers was damning. She was nothing near to how dedicated and vigilant Shun had been when he had the position, and not to mention Zuko seemed to _hate_ her.

Who exactly was this chick?

Zuko cleared his throat and all eyes were on him. "We stay here. Not _here,_ here. But we will stay in the building. We can't risk being found and since they already scoped this place I highly doubt they're coming back. For now, let's get out of here and get some real rest."

Katara nodded and sat up completely, suddenly bereft of Zuko's warmth, and she followed Suki out of the crawlspace. Hera was close behind and immediately disappeared to one of the bedrooms. Zuko crawled out and glared at where Hera had basically run off to and shook his head before making his way over to Suki and Katara.

"We need food."

As if to punctuate that statement, Katara heard someone's stomach growl. Two pairs of eyes went to her when she felt her own stomach grumble as well.

"Alright... I'll go get fruit," she remarked before heading to the door.

"I'll go with you," Zuko offered as he sidled up next to her. "More eyes can get more fruit."

Katara felt her cheeks heat and saw Suki smirking at them as she folded her arms. "Alright. I'll stick around here and make sure the Grump doesn't pull a fast one on us and bolt."

Zuko's eyes left Katara and he cleared his throat, and Katara noticed his unscarred cheek had gone a little red. "Perfect. Yes. You do that, and we'll do this. Good idea."

Katara ignored the knowing stare Suki gave them, instead she ducked her head and made her way towards the exit of the decrepit cabin and out towards the woods. Zuko trailed behind her, barely three paces away. She noticed he didn't light a fire in his palm, and she had been glad for his foresight. Having a fire in the middle of the woods on a dark night could spell many different problems, especially if people were looking for them.

She grinned and honed her bending to find water, any source would be investigated. She knew the flora of the Earth Kingdom well enough by now to differentiate poisonous fruit from the safe ones, and luckily she had practically mastered the art of finding water within food to hunt it down.

Her stomach growled and she frowned, wishing that they would be able to hunt some meat, but with the ruckus that the Xi Lang made earlier she doubted any animals were still in the area that they could eat. They were stuck with fruit.

"So..."

Katara turned her head and saw Zuko rub the back of his neck awkwardly, averting his eyes from her and worrying his lip between his teeth. She stopped walking and turned around, looking up at him as he halted as well.

"So what?"

Zuko sighed and untied his hair before retying it at the nape of his neck. "I... we need to talk about what happened at the cabin."

Katara's heart fluttered and she felt a pleasant warmth flow out. She fidgeted, remembering the searing kiss that transpired between them, and glanced down at her feet. "What about it?"

"Well... what does it mean?"

She lifted her eyes and met his; so bright even in the darkness of this night. The moon was full, illuminating the entire forest and streaming to the ground through the leaves. Zuko was bathed in that silver light, standing in front of her like some beacon of untouchable beauty. She unconsciously lifted her hand to feel him, to ensure herself that she wasn't dreaming of this perfection projecting in front of her.

When she cupped his scarred cheek, Zuko immediately leaned into her touch and his eyes fluttered closed. He sighed, and for once in the entire time she knew him, he looked truly at peace. Her heart soared at the sheer beauty of his form.

"Zuko..."

His eyes opened, pinning her down and penetrating her soul.

"I..."

He turned his head and kissed her palm, then took her hand with his and held it against his heart. Her fingers touched the ridged skin of his fresh scar that peeked out from the top of his shirt and a hopeless sadness washed over her. How could she deny such a wonderful man? Ever since he joined their side in the war, Zuko has been nothing but good to her. Minus the time during the Yu Dao conflict, but that was a trying time for both of them.

Katara loved him, that she knew. It was her love for Zuko and her love for freedom that tore her away from Aang. However, now wasn't the best of times to act on said feelings, and she knew deep down it may never come to fruition. Zuko - _Fire Lord_ Zuko - probably couldn't have a girlfriend from another nation. Not when everything around them was so fragile. They were on the brink of another war and she shouldn't be thinking of Zuko and his gentle hands and pliant lips and strong arms and -

"Katara."

She blinked and her hand gripped the fabric of his shirt. "I'm sorry."

"I'm the one who should apologize."

Her eyebrows shot up. "What?"

Zuko sighed and averted his gaze. "I shouldn't have put myself out there like that, not when you just broke up with Aang and not while we're in the middle of this conflict... It was pretty stupid of me."

Katara smiled at his honest, self-depreciating sentiment, and she took a step closer. "Yes, that was kind of stupid. But, I would rather you be honest with me than hide your feelings."

He smiled at her and looked as if he was ready to lean in for another kiss, but Katara stopped him.

"But you're right: We're not in the best place to be thinking about this. We need to focus on getting back to safety, finding our friends, and stopping the Xi Lang from starting another war."

Zuko looked a little crestfallen, but he covered it up well with an understanding nod, as if he was expecting that answer from her. "Alright."

Katara removed her hand from his chest and stepped back. "And I'm not in the best place right now to be looking for love. I haven't even found myself yet. What kind of person would I be if I left the Avatar, claiming I needed to explore and be myself, only to go running into the arms of the Fire Lord immediately after? And to be perfectly honest, I don't think I'm ready for anything of that nature right now."

To her surprise, Zuko smiled and took her hands in his before kissing her knuckles. "I understand completely. We got carried away... though I meant what I said. I don't want you to forget that."

Katara's heart was hammering wildly against her ribs, and she fought every desire to wrap her arms around his shoulders and kiss him soundly once more. Instead, she smiled back at him and murmured, "I know. And I want you to know I feel the same way... It's just not in the cards for us right now."

Zuko's smile turned wistful and sad, and he let go of her hands before stepping away, solidifying that distance between them once more. He nodded softly as he turned his attention back to the woods around them, clearing his throat and asking, "So where do we start?"

* * *

The smell of wood fire shook him from unconsciousness, filling his lungs with warm and dry air that tickled his throat on the way in. He coughed, a sputtering sound that shook his whole body, and Sokka found himself hissing at the pain the cough caused on the aggravated wound on his side.

"Oh good, you're awake."

He glanced up to see Toph, sitting right next to his head, and turning her head down towards him, face relieved. Confused, he furrowed his brow and asked, "Why does that sound like a surprise?"

"Because you passed out last night and none of us could wake you," she remarked with a casual, albeit tight voice. "Luckily Mai knew how to give stitches or you would have died from blood loss at some point in time during the night."

Despite her tone, Sokka could tell the very thought of him dying had frightened Toph. In fact, it terrified him, too.

"Was it really that bad?"

She frowned and nodded, face somber. "I told you it smelled like blood. When Mai and Ty Lee got back with some food, you were apparently making a whole puddle of blood on the ground. Soaked through the shirt and everything."

Sokka tentatively trailed his fingers against the would to find it cauterized shut with a few stitches at some of the deeper parts of the cut. He hissed at the tenderness and immediately stared pulling one of the wraps off of his wrist. Once it was free, he loosened the other and folded it up on the wound before wrapping the other around his torso to keep it in place. "See? Much better."

Toph's little hand reached over and her fingers ghosted over the makeshift bandage. Her brow was furrowed and she was still frowning. "Better, but not perfect. We need Katara."

He sighed and attempted to sit up. Unfortunately for him, the strain from his wound weakened his body to the point that his arms felt like jelly and his head swam when he barely straightened himself. Toph must have felt him struggle because she earthbent him upright, giving him a small rock to lean against like a chair.

"Thanks."

Her response was an uneven grin, but it resembled more of a grimace than something that could comfort him. He knew she was mad at him, that was obvious. Granted, he didn't expect it to get _this_ bad. He truthfully thought it wasn't so horrible it could have killed him.

"You should have been more careful," she remarked, keeping her face forward. "If you hadn't tried to cover up how hurt you were, we could have helped you sooner."

"To be honest I didn't really notice how bad it was," Sokka replied. Her chin tilted in his direction. "Ty Lee had covered it up before I could get a good look. And I was still hyped up from the battle that I didn't realize how bad off I was. I'm sorry."

In her best attempt to meet his gaze, Toph turned to him fully and took his hand. "Please don't scare me like that again, okay?"

He smiled and squeezed hers back. "No promises, but I'll try."

Toph gave him a half-hearted smile in return before hesitantly removing her hand from his. "If you don't I'll give you a hard whooping."

Sokka chuckled, "I wouldn't expect any less from you."

He glanced around the cave, noticing the large stack of wood in the corner and the small hole on the wall, but no Ty Lee or Mai. He furrowed his brow and turned his attention back to Toph. "Where did they go?"

"Scouting," Toph replied simply as she poked the fire with a stick. Sokka was surprised she knew where it was, but he figured she might have been just doing it to occupy herself. "It's almost morning and they wanted to make sure we had a clear path back to Yu Dao."

"How long do you think it will take us to get there?"

Toph sighed and dropped her stick on the ground. "With your injury, all day. Ty Lee is insisting we find the others, so that's what we're going to try to do first."

"They went east," Sokka mentioned as he readjusted the bandage. "If we head back to where the fissure is, we can track them from there."

"They probably went to find shelter."

"And if we get closer to where we split up, we might have a chance of finding out where they went."

Toph mulled that idea over, rolling her jaw back and forth. She nodded before standing up and bending away the rock at the opening of the cave. Standing outside were Ty Lee and Mai, surprised and expectant respectively.

"So?"

"The direct road to Yu Dao is being blocked by masked men," Ty Lee replied as she entered the cave. "The fissure made by that earthbending attack only goes a couple of miles, so I think we should round it to the southwest and go the long way back."

"If we try to go the way we came, we'll be ambushed," Mai added. "No point in risking our lives when we can go a safer route. It's longer, but there are less men and we can sneak by easily."

"That's a good plan," Sokka said while Ty Lee approached him and went to check on his wound. "I should be well enough to walk."

"We're not going to risk that," Toph replied as she stood. "You're a liability right now."

"Well how do you recommend we do this, then?" Mai's dry voice cut into the cold air of the cave like a knife. Sokka glanced at her over Ty Lee and he frowned. He hated being treated like a baby.

"Maybe a sled of some sorts," Ty Lee offered after rewrapping the makeshift bandage. "We could pull him along behind us."

"That could cause too much noise and we could get caught," Toph replied. "I can earthbend a slab of some sort and keep it in the air."

"You're blind, Toph," Mai countered.

"No, shit, Mai."

The noble rolled her eyes and her lips were set in a grim frown. "We're in a dense forest and you can't see trees. You might run into one and possibly reveal our location."

"Okay, then what do you suggest?"

At the irritation in their voices, Sokka's chest burned with frustration and a sudden sensation of uselessness. "Guys."

"There's nothing we can do right now with him being hurt-"

"Says the person who did nothing to guard his back!"

"Guys-"

"I think we should just stay put-"

"And risk getting poached off like sitting turtle ducks? I don't think so."

Sokka scowled, anger and annoyance boiling up and - " _SHUT IT!_ "

The three girls all were silenced and turned to face him. He glared at each of them, ignoring the sudden throb in his side, and he took a deep breath. "Look, I appreciate the concern about me and getting out of here. But staying is not an option. The longer we stay, the more likely we will be found. I agree that we should try to find the others as soon as possible. We went east, they went west. They're closer to Yu Dao than we are, and if I know Suki she's going to try to find a way back to the city as soon as possible. Coming to find us isn't their top priority. Zuko is. So I say we do the same and get back to the city as soon as possible. With me injured and no resources, it's the only thing we can do."

He watched as Ty Lee and Mai exchanged looks before turning back to him and nodding. When Sokka's eyes went to Toph, he was surprised to see a deep frown marring her delicate face. She sighed heavily and stood without a word before heading out of the cave.

Sokka's brows furrowed together and he swallowed thickly. In all honesty, he couldn't peg why Toph's frustration and concern was bothering him so much. It was a bit much for him to wrap his head around, considering her brusque nature. She carried him out of the rubble of her school the day before, and she had watched over him while he was passed out from the blood loss. He was touched, truly, but irritated at the whole situation. He was supposed to protect her, not the other way around.

Ty Lee's soft touch on his shoulder jolted him out of forming any more angry wrinkles, and he blinked heavily before taking her proffered hand and attempting to raise to his feet. Immediately, he got lightheaded and swayed on his feet, but his determination to prove that he could still be of use was easily outweighing any logic left in his brain. With a stern look of stubborn resolve, Sokka leveled his gaze with Toph and grinned when he finally steadied himself.

Her frown grew and she all but huffed as she turned away from him and starting heading into the woods. Mai followed her out and Ty Lee was making her way to the opening of the cave, watching him as he struggled to even walk.

Sokka huffed and leaned his shoulder against the cave wall, a cold and dreadful reminder of this whole damned situation, and he grimaced as he felt the skin of his wound pull and threaten to rip open again.

"Sokka, if you can't do this we can always find another way."

He shook his head furiously and pushed himself off the wall, biting back a tortured groan as a sharp pain radiated through his whole side. Sweat broke out on his forehead at the effort and he swallowed the thickness that was starting to coat his throat. He knew what was happening, and if he didn't get help he would surely die out here in this forest.

But he couldn't give up.

With a faux look of confidence shot at Ty Lee, Sokka limped out of the cave and into the forest. Maybe the coldness of the oncoming winter air could numb the agony he was feeling, he mused morbidly. Every step was a fight, stiffness riddling his limbs and jolting the wound past the point of discomfort. Perhaps he should have stayed in the cave.

No. He had to do this.

For his friends.

* * *

Zuko eyed Hera suspiciously as she stared at the fire, contemplating the situation they had found themselves in. When he and Katara returned from their fruit gathering, she had come out of her 'room' and declared they would leave at first morning light. Despite his reluctance, she was right. They needed to get back to Yu Dao as soon as possible. Katara had protested, saying they needed to find their friends, but Suki had taken Hera's side and stated that Zuko was the Fire Lord and he needed to be protected. Being out in the woods like they were meant they were exposed, and they couldn't risk losing him again.

Since then, Katara had been pensively quiet. She was spending her time gathering water from the nearby trees and bushes, out on the other side of the cabin. Suki was resting in one of the bedrooms while Hera sat with Zuko at the hearth, staring into the fire.

"What's your play?"

Her eyebrow quirked, but she did not avert her gaze from the flames. Her answer was full of feigned ignorance. "My play?"

Zuko narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "Your play. Why are you here? Why did you go against my orders and stow away on our ship? And how did my mother learn of you?"

Hera's dark eyes darted to him and she smirked. He ground his teeth. "Well, Fire Lord, since I am in your service, I see no reason to not divulge this information to you."

He glared at her and retorted, "You are not in my service. I did not approve your employment to the Royal Family."

"Oh, but your mother did," she shot back, eyes gleaming with something Zuko couldn't quite read. Something painfully familiar tickled the back of his mind, so much it made his stomach churn and his blood boil. "As for your questions, I am here to protect you, under the orders of the Lady Mother. I stowed away because she asked me to guard you, like I was hired to do. Apparently, I am needed for good reason. And as for how she learned of my skills, let's just say I used to work for a group of people whose services were usually done under the table. She was familiar with them and found me."

"So you're a mercenary."

"More or less."

His lips pulled into a deep scowl. "You want me to believe that my mother hired a mercenary to be my personal guard while in hostile territory? Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Of course not, Your Majesty," Hera replied. The overly sweet sound of her voice made Zuko feel as if she was toying with him. "On the contrary. I think you're amazingly intelligent. You would have to be in order to have lived this long. There's plenty of people out there who underestimate you, that's for sure."

Zuko arched his only brow and asked, "Why should I trust your word? I've known plenty of mercs from the war and it so happens a group of them are the reason all of this is happening."

Hera grinned, a feral look on her slim face, and she murmured in a tone that was echoed in a memory from the past, "Not every mercenary is the same, my Lord. I can assure you that I am here for your protection."

Without hesitation, Zuko muttered between his gritted teeth, "Why am I not convinced?"

Her grin softened and her eyes darkened, roaming over him with a hunger that Zuko knew wasn't lust. With a lowering voice so stickily sultry it was nauseating, she said, "I'm sure I can change your mind. Do you need convincing, my Lord?"

Immediately he scowled and stood, glaring down his nose at her as he clenched his shaking fists at his side. "That is no way to act around your sovereign."

A wicked gleam sparkled in her violet eyes and she breathed out with a dangerous voice, "That's the way _she_ did. Apparently that's the best way to earn your trust. It's pretty easy to win over a useless failure like you."

Zuko considered throwing fire at her at that moment, burn her with the sacred flames the dragons taught him, but his heart twisted at her words and his chest felt heavy and defeated. Instead, he turned on his heel and stomped out of the room, his hard footsteps a cacophony with her melodious and fake laughter.

He swiftly exited the cabin, heading straight for a clearing to the east. Dawn was approaching quickly and he could hear the sounds of the earth starting to wake.

 _Useless, useless, useless, useless-_

His heart was hammering in his chest, every thump causing his old wounds to throb with an empty ache that he could not shake. The more he walked, the more his heart picked up speed. By the time he reached the clearing, it was thundering in his throat and his knees buckled underneath him.

 _Failure, failure, failure-_

As he hit the forest floor, Zuko gasped for air and his mind raced with unintelligible thoughts. He clawed at his throat, suddenly unable to breathe, and tears sprung forth from his eyes.

 _Why was this happening?!_

"Zuko!"

Over the pounding in his ears, Zuko could hear the soft sound of feet hitting the dirt. There was a tunneling in his vision and he vaguely saw blue before his head was grasped and he was rolled onto his back. He stared up at the canopy, past wide and worried blue eyes, and gasped for air.

He saw shadows of a figure in the trees, swinging a rusty knife with bulky arms, and the cloying sound of a rough man's voice echoed in his ears, overlapping and bouncing back and forth and growing in volume.

 _"...the honorable Fire Lord..."_

 _"Chaos will reign."_

 _"I'll make your death fast and easy."_

 _"I'm going to kill you, Fire Lord Zuko."_

Over and over and over and over and-

"Zuko, _please!_ "

Cool hands cupped his face and his eyes started to focus on the frantic face of his friend, a glow starting to light up the tear tracks carving into her cheeks. He tried his hardest and focused his gaze on her, but a strange thrumming in his head made it harder than he could anticipate. A sob escaped her and Zuko's heart writhed as his stomach churned painfully.

He's doing this to her.

With great effort, his heart started to slow, little by little until he was hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion and he felt as if lead was clogging his veins. His eyes felt heavy and over the ringing in his ears, Zuko could hear Katara's soft cries as she held his face between her hands and pressed their foreheads together.

Lazily, Zuko lifted his hand and wove his fingers with hers, relishing in the coolness of her soft hands. Katara lifted her head away from his and pressed her lips to his forehead.

"What happened?"

He shook his head and let his eyes slip closed. "I don't know... one minute I was fine, then I was having a panic attack."

Her fingers ran through his hair and she sighed, "It's alright. You're alright."

Zuko nodded and rolled onto his side, pressing his scarred cheek into her thigh. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"You passed right by me but didn't even see me," she murmured as her fingers traced the lines of his scar. "I knew something was wrong as soon as you lost your footing."

"I did?"

She nodded and pressed another kiss to his forehead. "Let's get back to the cabin. You need some rest before we leave. Plus-"

"Katara! Zuko!"

Both benders turned to see Suki sprinting right towards them, a panicked and horrified look in her eyes, and they both stood right when she reached them.

"Suki," Katara asked as she put her hands on Suki's heaving shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"It's Hera," she gasped, keeled over and eyes squeezed shut in disbelief.

Zuko stiffened and his eyes widened. "What about her?"

Suki lifted her eyes to him and it was enough to tell him what she was about to say.

"She's gone."

* * *

 _tbc._

* * *

 ** _A/N_** _man how long am I going to make you guys wait between these chapters? I am so sorry!_


	8. The Stand

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender_

 _ **A/N** so what does it take for a girl to get reviews over here?_

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: The Stand**

* * *

"Sir, Hayato has sent word."

Takeshi glanced up from the cup of tea hovering in front of his mouth, eyeing the messenger out of the corner of his eye, and replied, "What is the status of the attack?"

"He has cornered them into the Chi Fu Forest, sir. Everything is on track and they should be closing in on the Fire Lord and his company within the day."

He sipped the tea, then placed it down on his table. When he stood and faced the messenger, the child jumped and whimpered as he rounded the couch and headed to the bathroom connected to his lounge. "Very good. Send a message to him, tell him we are in route to our destination and will alert him when we are in place for our part of the attack."

"O-of course, sir."

Right as the child slipped out of the room, Takeshi stepped into the bathroom and turned up the lantern by the sink. As light filled the room, his eyes went straight to the sunken shadows on his face, highlighting the gruesome scars etched into his tanned skin. He frowned, the action pulling them down and stretching the shadows into the deep hallows left behind. A hand lifted up and touched the dead skin, stretching over his right jaw and cheek. The tendons were visible through the leathery skin, and the hallows between them were heavily accented with the mottled skin that had once covered them.

Some had said that his burns were reminiscent of the Fire Lord's; dark and rough and disfiguring. While the Fire Lord's eye had survived his accident, Takeshi's did not. The deep line going through his eyebrow, eyelid, and cheek were the telling sign of the attack, as was the sliced pupil within his eye. He would never be able to see out of it again, but it spurred him on.

The doctors told him to wear an eye patch, to cover up the disfigurations and hide behind hoods and scarves for the rest of his life. But what the Fire Nation's soldiers had done to him was inexcusable, and he decided to show the world what horrific acts had been done by the very men who still walk free to this day. Forgiving the Fire Nation was by far the dumbest thing the world could have done, after all they did to the people of the other nations. So Takeshi decided to take things into his own hands, to show the world what happens when you let criminals walk free.

Chaos.

And he was going to bring it right to them.

"Lord Takeshi?"

"Yes?"

"Lord Bau Li has sent a message, his men are ready to do their final leg of the trip and sail to their destination."

"Reply and tell him to move immediately. The attack must be swift and simultaneous. They must strike before the winter freezes the seas."

"Yes, sir."

He stepped out of the bathroom and made his way to the hall, each step measured and even against the swaying floor. He traipsed through the halls, making his way up and into the afternoon sunlight, grinning when a fresh, salty breeze hit his face. He pulled up his hood over his head as he strode towards the bow. The sounds of the sea splashing against the hull of the ship rang in his ears, and with closed eyes and a content smile, Takeshi blissfully took it all in.

Everything was going according to plan.

When he opened his eyes, one of his men - Kushino, a stout and pale man from the Northern Earth Kingdom - was heading in his direction, determined in every way that Takeshi asked for, and he bowed at the waist when he reached his leader's side.

"Lord Takeshi, we will be making landfall soon. What are your orders?"

Takeshi took a deep breath and stared out over the horizon, where the very tops of mountains were starting to show against the blue waves.

"Assemble the men, inform them of such," Takeshi told Kushino, tucking his hands behind his back. "We will make our way up the mountain as soon as we hit land. I will give the order once we are in place."

"Yes, sir."

A feral grin made its way onto Takeshi's face and he sighed once more. Yes, all of this was going perfectly. All he needed to do was wait, and then the world would be in ruin. Just like his face and the thousands of faces across the globe.

* * *

"She's _what?"_

Suki straightened up and frowned, locking her hard gaze on Zuko as she replied, "She's gone. I heard you leave and was about to come out and ask what happened, but she _attacked me,_ and then fled to the opposite direction. What happened?"

Katara watched Zuko blow steam out of his nose and curse under his breath. He rubbed his face with his hands and cupped them over his mouth in thought, eyes frantic and _furious._

 _"_ Suki, I need you to tell us what happened in detail."

The Kyoshi Warrior looked at Katara, a grim look passing over her face. "I heard Zuko yell at Hera, and the tail-end of her reply, then I got up and went to go find out what happened. Right as I opened the door, Hera sprung out of her chair with a dagger in one hand and fire in the other. I fought her off and managed to chi block her, but right when I was about to completely take her down, she dropped a smoke bomb and ran away."

"I fucking knew it."

Katara and Suki both turned to Zuko, whose arms were folded tightly over his chest and glare so strong it could burn a hole in the ground.

"What do you mean?"

"There's no fucking way someone like her could have been in good graces with my mother," he supplied, his voice so low and dangerous it made Katara's hackles rise. "Azula seemed wary of her and I had never heard of her until she showed up at the palace. I had a bad feeling about her the second I first saw her! I can't believe this..."

"Zuko?"

"She's one of them," he muttered as he turned on his heel and began stomping back to the cabin. Katara and Suki scurried after him and listened as he elaborated, "She said she was a mercenary. There's no reason my mom would hire a merc to be my bodyguard, even in these circumstances. She had to have had a cover story to even get an audience with her, and we played right into her trap."

"Trap?" Suki jogged up next to him. "What trap?"

Zuko stopped short of the cabin and looked up at the trees surrounding them. "She's going to tip them off. We're going to get ambushed. That's why she wanted to leave so quickly after they searched the cabin, so we could be cornered by the Xi Lang and get taken out."

Katara felt her stomach drop. "Are you sure?"

"Why else would she run off? Because she's scared? Unlikely."

"So what do you think we should do, Fire Lord?" Suki asked, her tone reflecting the soldier within.

Zuko inhaled deeply, and a little unevenly as if he was starting to panic. "We try to find the others. We're stronger together."

"But we also need to get you back to Yu Dao," Katara countered. His gaze went to her and she continued, "You're the Fire Lord. As much as you may not like it, we need to protect you. If something happens to you, then the Fire Nation will go into disarray. We have to go back to safety. If we run into the others on the way there, then great. If not, they can handle themselves. You're more important than any of us right now."

His gaze was steely, but Katara did not waver. She could tell he understood her reasoning, and despite his deepest wishes to get the whole group together and to safety, he was more important than any of them right now.

"Zuko, Katara has a point. It was our initial plan, so let's stick with it and get you back before we get ambushed."

The Fire Lord sighed and let his arms drop, nodding and turning on his heel to the west. "We ran north of Yu Dao, and the fissure ran northwest to southeast. We're closer to the city than them, so unless they kept going through the night I doubt they will make it to Yu Dao before us. We just need to go south and hope that we can get there quickly."

Katara and Suki both nodded, and quickly they were running through the trees, using the rising sun as a compass and heading south back towards Yu Dao. Katara's heart was hammering in her chest, the terrifying thrill of being chased bringing back painful memories of the war. To her right, Suki's face was hard with hatred and determination, eyes darting around and watching for any hidden assailants. Zuko was running ahead of them both, using his swords to cut low hanging branches so they had a clear path through the underbrush. His shoulders were high and tight, mirroring the stress and anger he was feeling in the moment.

Oh, how she would love to just get back home and assure him that they were okay.

* * *

"Stop!"

She felt the others still behind her, watching her as she sensed the world around them. The sun had risen, and the animals of the woods were starting to wake, but not this much. It almost felt like a stampede was rushing through the forest and heading south, towards...

"It's them! I feel them!"

"Feel who?" Mai asked from beside her.

"Suki! Katara! Zuko!" Toph grinned and turned so the others could see her face. "I feel them! They're running towards Yu Dao?"

"Where's Hera?" Ty Lee piped up. Toph could feel a shift in her heart rate, turning anxious and angry. "Is she with them?"

Toph shook her head. "I only felt three people running. So she either got separated from them, or she's dead."

"Or she is up to something," Ty Lee muttered. She turned to Sokka and hoisted his arm over her shoulder. "We need to hurry."

Another step and Toph felt something else entirely, it felt like a thunderous stampede, or quite possibly an earthquake. She knelt and her hand pressed against the dirt, eyes narrowed when she focused on the vibrations. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest and for the first time in a very long time, Toph felt her heart leap up into her tightening throat and hammer out of control in fear. More and more feet were starting to run, all in the direction their friends had been going. And these feet were starting to get close, closing in fast.

Luckily for them, she knew they were closer and could get to their side faster.

With a quick stomp of her foot and a wave of her arms, Toph rose a hill of earth with her companions right behind her. She thrust her arms forward and the hill started moving them in the direction of her arms, speeding them through the woods like a boat on the sea.

"Toph! What are you doing?!" she heard Sokka yell from behind her. She could tell he was starting to panic like she was, but it wasn't from the sudden movement of earth.

"Getting us to our friends!" she shouted back at him, keeping her voice as level as she could manage. "We have no time to waste!"

"What do you mean?!" This time it was Mai shouting.

The growing vibrations in the earth told her why, but they couldn't feel it. No one else would.

"Toph!"

"The Xi Lang are closing in!" she replied, pushing past the thickness in her throat. They barely made it out alive the last time, and without reinforcements or retreat, they would surely all lose. "We need to get together now!"

The sensation of Zuko abruptly stopping and the two girls running into him would have made Toph laugh, but she was too focused on the dozens of masked men and women closing in on the clearing where they had stopped.

"Sokka!"

Toph couldn't help but grimace at the sound of Suki calling out for him, yet she swallowed it down and pushed past the strain of moving so much earth in such a short amount of time. They slowed to a stop near the feet of their friends, and she felt her knees buckle underneath her. Two hands stopped her from falling, and the warm herbal scent of Zuko surrounded her.

"Easy there, Bandit."

"Shut up, Sparky."

As she sensed Katara and Suki rush to Sokka and tend to him, Zuko eased her to the ground and she felt him dab some fabric across her face. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Just tired."

"What were you thinking?" he admonished softly, enough to make her feel guilty but still gentle enough to not make her want to push back.

"I felt feet," she replied, breathing as evenly as she could, "all around us. They were closing in on your location, I couldn't let you guys be alone."

"What?"

"The Xi Lang, they're coming."

* * *

"Sir, the men are all in position. We wait for your command."

Takeshi glanced over his shoulder, where Kushino was standing. "What time would it be right now in Yu Dao?"

"Approximately sunrise."

"Hayato should be attacking soon," he murmured. "Tell the men we are to strike when the sun hits the horizon. That should give him plenty of time to close in on Yu Dao once he's finished with the whelp."

"Of course, sir."

Takeshi never took his gaze off of the imposing black building in the center of the city. For now, they wait. Their time would come.

* * *

"What do you think we need to do?"

Zuko glanced over his shoulder at Katara, who was kneeling in front of Sokka as she stitched up the wound in his side. He frowned, then turned his attention back to Suki, whose back was pressed against his as they awaited their fate.

"We need to get back to Yu Dao. We are in no condition to fight."

He felt Suki take a deep breath and shake her head. "Toph says she felt at least fifty men approaching. With Sokka hurt and Toph needing to recuperate, we can't move. And Toph can't earthbend us out of here like she had done to get back to all of us."

Zuko cursed under his breath and tested the weight of his swords in his hands again. As much as he hated to acknowledge it, Suki was right. They were sitting turtleducks. He watched the treeline and let his mind race. They could make a run for it, but Yu Dao was still over a klick away. With Sokka hurt and Katara busy healing him, they had to wait. They could stand and fight, but again with Sokka and Katara currently preoccupied, that left the dozens of men Toph felt to five people. And they would have to worry about protecting the Water Tribe siblings until either of them was ready to fight.

"Crap."

Suki chuckled and nudged his shoulder with hers. "You're telling me. Any bright ideas?"

Zuko chewed on his lip, his body reactively sinking into a kata and his eyes focusing on the trees as he said, "We stay put until Katara and Sokka are ready to go. Once they're ready to move, we book it to Yu Dao. Toph can speed us through with her earthbending or we can run as fast as we can."

"We're going to have to keep them protected until they can go," Suki stated, her hands reaching for her sword and fans. "We can't let them get taken out while Katara works."

"And I can't earthbend us out of here," Toph cut in, her sightless eyes staring straightforward. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line when she elaborated, "They have earthbenders. I can feel them. As soon as I try, they're going to move the earth and throw us off. We have to stand our ground or run away. Whichever the Honorable Fire Lord decides..."

Zuko's eyes narrowed and he cursed again under his breath. After a long moment, he glanced over his shoulder towards Katara, "How much longer do you think you'll be?"

He saw her shrug, the glow of her water diminishing as she moved towards his ribs. "Maybe another few minutes. Buy me some time and I can have him on his feet like he was brand new."

"Thanks, Katara," Sokka beamed before pecking her on the forehead. Zuko saw him wince, but chose to ignore it. He needed to focus...

"Get ready, guys," Toph muttered as her toes dug into the dirt. "They're closing in."

Zuko's heart tightened painfully and he braced himself, his back to Katara and Sokka like their other protectors. To his left he saw Mai sink into her heels and her eyes narrow as she stared out towards the treeline, three knives perched between her fingers on both hands.

"Mai."

She glanced at him, her body still poised to strike. "Yeah?"

"What do you know about Hera?"

Ty Lee slipped into view, her face uncharacteristically hard, and she blurted, "Where did she go? What happened?"

Zuko scowled and his fists clenched, his eyes going back to the treeline. "She attacked Suki and ran. I suspect she-"

"Was a traitor all along?"

Seven pairs of eyes all turned towards the voice, unsurprised to see Hera leaning against a tree, her rope dart swinging lazily at her side. Her smirk was visible, even across the clearing, and the anger that Zuko felt towards her started boiling his blood. He sneered and raised his swords, making his rage evident, and went to speak before another boom of laughter filled the clearing.

A chill crawled up Zuko's spine; that was the same laugh he heard when he first ran into the forest. The ground shook and he watched as a masked earthbender emerged from the dirt, appearing smoothly next to Hera. The grin on his mask was feral and gleaming, jarring against the rising sun.

"Now, now, Hera. No need to tease the food before we eat it."

Zuko growled under his breath and watched as person after person emerged from the shadows of the trees, surrounding them from all sides like predators closing in on their prey. He noticed Suki shift and close one of her fans to draw the katana at her waist. Toph was digging her does into the dirt, no doubt counting how many people they were going to face.

"There's at least fifty," she murmured, only loud enough for the others to hear.

Zuko cursed and his grip tightened. "What are the odds of you getting us out of here, Toph?"

"Not likely," she muttered back. "I can tell at least a third of them are earthbenders. They can throw off any escape I try if they work together."

"We're fucked, aren't we?"

Zuko turned and gave Mai a dry glare, answering her equally dry statement. She simply shrugged before twirling one of her knives on her finger and roaming her eyes along the treeline, sizing up the emerging masked men and women.

"Did you like my gift, Fire Lord?" the masked man next to Hera called out. "I'm sure you had been missing your crown. It felt only right to give it back to you."

Zuko's heart tumbled in his chest and a flash of rage boiled his blood. He grit his teeth and his body instinctively moved to charge, but he found his feet were stuck to the ground. He looked down and saw his boots were encased in rock up to his ankles, and Toph had her toes deep in the dirt.

"Don't do anything rash," she muttered, her blank eyes hard with anger as she stared out towards their foe. "He's trying to bait us."

The Fire Lord seethed as the earth slowly moved away from his feet, his hot glare pinned on the traitors in masks, particularly the lone woman in front with her face bare. He grit his teeth and kept his mouth shut, not trusting his voice to remain calm in the face of this fight.

"Your people will soon be dead, Fire Lord," the man called again. "The colonists, as well. Same for many of the world leaders. Today marks the beginning of a new era: the Era of Chaos. And you shall meet your end with much suffering and pain. I shall make sure of it."

Behind him, Zuko heard Katara and Sokka shift, the latter grunting but thanking his sister as they pulled themselves to their feet. The Water Tribe siblings slid into the protective circle, both wielding their weapons and ready to go. Zuko met Katara's eyes, her face stern as she nodded. Zuko's grip on his swords tightened and he turned his attention back to their enemies.

"Hera."

The woman in question's eyes locked on his, glowing in the morning sun with disdain and mischief. She smirked, a look Zuko was starting to loathe, and she swung her rope dart around one more time before gripping it tightly in her hands.

"Yes, _my liege_?"

Zuko scowled at her mocking tone and he took a small step towards her, lifting his chest and chin despite the anger and anxiety he was starting to feel at the promise of a fight. "Who exactly are you? Why did you betray your country for these people?"

Hera's laugh was high and haughty, a sound that Zuko pegged to contain some of the dignity she thought she had. It bounced across the clearing, silencing the others and her allies with its faux mirth. When she stopped, her sparkling gaze met his again and she shrugged.

"I supposed after years and years of suffering at the hands of my own people, I thought it would have been best to eliminate them for their crimes as opposed to living as if we had done nothing wrong," she supplied as if it was the most simple explanation for everything.

"But you weren't treated like scum, Hera!" Ty Lee joined in with an angry shout. "Your family loved you and gave you nothing but the best! Azula even thought highly enough of you to consider having you join us during the war!"

Zuko's eyebrow shot up in surprise and he looked over Ty Lee's head to meet Mai's eyes. The pale woman merely nodded, her jaw tight with uncharacteristic anger.

"Don't play me a fool, Ty Lee!" Hera snapped. "Azula only wanted to use me, like she used you. And when I declined, she had me thrown in prison! Had it not been for Hayato, I would have rotted there until the end of my days! He showed me the light, he led me to my master, and now we are about to bring the world into a new age where criminals like the Fire Nation and the _heroes_ who saved the world don't suffer consequences for changing the order of the world!"

"You're speaking nonsense!" Katara shouted from Zuko's right. He turned and watched her pull water out of the ground around them and coat her arms, preparing for the fight. "Had we not ended the war, everyone would be dead! It's because of us that there is peace and people are living! You can't accuse us of being wrong when our intervention and action saved your lives!"

The man - Zuko assumed him to be Hayato based on Hera's practical devotion to him and the way she was almost glued to his side - stepped forward, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and he remarked, "Such haughty words from the Fire Lord's whore. Tell me, do you truly think you are saviors when all you've done is cause strife? The Fire Nation is barely standing, the Earth Kingdom is in shambles, and the Water Tribes can't even speak to each other without a fight ensuing. The world is already adrift in chaos, and now our actions shall be put down in history as what saves the world from its most dastardly opponent: itself."

"If you usher in chaos," Zuko replied lowly, "you will do nothing but undo all of the hard work that has been put forth the past five years. People will die, all of the nations will suffer."

Hayato chuckled and he lowered himself into a fighting stance. "There is nothing you can do to stop it. It has already begun. As we speak, your precious cities are starting to crumble. One by one, they will fall. And the world will not recover. It is what it deserves."

"We will do what we have to be free," Hera added, her face oddly serene as she began swinging her rope dart once more. "And if I have to destroy the Fire Nation to get there, I will gladly begin that blaze."

In that moment, tiem slowed and Zuko noticed five things: Hera stepping back into the shadows of the woods, disappearing entirely. The rumbles and explosions in the distance, coming from the direction of Yu Dao. Hayato's men rushing forward, closing in on the group. The shouts of his friends behind him as the first attacks connected, and the arrow that lodged itself in his shoulder.

The blitz had begun.

* * *

"What is it, Azula?"

The Princess was staring out the window to the east, eyes hard and her fingers trembling. She had a sudden fear strike her, nothing like the episodes she suffered after her breakdown years ago. In fact, this time she was afraid for someone else, and it was making her stomach churn and heart race.

"Darling?"

Azula shook her head and swallowed past the thickness in her throat and returned her attention to the cup of tea she had almost dropped on the table. "It's nothing."

But that sounded incredibly unconvincing, even to her.

Ursa frowned and set down her own cup. "I know you're worried about them, but they will be fine. I have the utmost faith that Zuko will help resolve this conflict and come home unscathed."

Azula scowled at her mother and all but slammed her cup on the table. "I never said I was worried!"

A sly smile made it's way to Ursa's lips, making Azula realize how similar they were to each other, and the Lady Mother stated, "You didn't have to say it, but I could see it in your eyes."

Azula averted her gaze and folded her arms over her chest. "I just had a bad feeling, that's all."

"Which is totally understandable," Ursa mentioned casually. "Zuko is your brother, and the people with him are the ones who saved both of you. I can understand your concern with their extended absence."

"It's not like I think something is going to happen to them," Azula rushed to reply, not bothering to correct that it wasn't just Zuko she was particularly worried about. "I just... I felt like something is wrong."

Ursa met her gaze, and suddenly her eyes went wide and her face turned serious. "I'll write to the council in Yu Dao, make sure everything is okay."

Unconvinced, Azula excused herself from her mother's sitting room and made her way towards her own. Every step echoed in the empty halls, bouncing around like the thoughts in her head. Every click of her heels sparked a new thought, tangling with the others and fading into dull noise. Her worry started nagging at her, begging her to do _something_ to make it go away, but even in her recuperating mental state she couldn't fathom any solution to her sudden anxiety.

Though she wouldn't admit to Ursa, Azula knew exactly why she was starting to worry. It was stemming from _Sokka_ being gone, too. Not just Zuko. He had been gone far too long, and a fear started eating away at her flipping stomach that told her he wasn't ever going to come back. And she had grown fond of his presence, perhaps even dependent on it. The worry of his extended absence was starting to weigh too heavily.

Now the fear that had spiked in her blood was warning her that he was in trouble, and it worried more than she cared to admit. She had to go help him.

Yes, perfect. First, she'd need a war balloon. A small one would do. And she would need enough provisions to last her until she reached the Earth Kingdom, which she could easily sneak out of the kitchens at any time. As for slipping past her guards - two of which she just spotted peaking around the corner at her - she could use the secret passage in her room that led to the city streets, and from there she could make it to the battalions without anyone seeing her. By the time her disappearance was discovered, she'd already be past the Black Cliffs.

Azula grinned at her plan, and figured she would start now and leave as soon as possible, hopefully when everyone was preoccupied with their daily tasks. Her gut told her Sokka needed help, so she would be the one to go there and save his pathetic ass.

"Princess Azula."

She stiffened and looked to her left, where the stoutly interim Fire Lord was standing with his hands tucked into his sleeves.

"Uncle Iroh."

He smiled with that stupid sagely look on his face and he approached her. "I just left your mother's quarters, and she told me she was concerned for you. Is something the matter?"

Azula blinked and her mind immediately said _Lie, Lie, LIE - don't tell- LIE, ZULI LIE-_ but she cleared her throat and squared her shoulders to him. "Not at all, Uncle. I have been feeling unwell so I decided to go rest."

Iroh's eyes gleamed knowingly and he sighed, "Dear Princess, I know what you're up to."

Her heart slammed against her ribs. "What?"

"You are not permitted to leave the palace, even if it is to go help the Fire Lord."

Her face started to warm and she clenched her fists under her sleeves. "I-I wasn't planning on doing that. You're mistaken, Uncle."

"Azula, your skills with lying have faltered since you returned to the Fire Nation," Iroh said simply, as if it weren't an insult. Instead, he sounded fond and wistful. "Please, have faith in Zuko that he will make it home alright. I do. It is the only thing I can do while I keep his seat warm."

She watched as her uncle sighed again and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It is not much to offer, but if you'd like I can deploy some of the Imperial Firebenders to go to Yu Dao and find out what is going on. They can reach the city by late afternoon if I send word now."

Sudden appreciation and gratitude swelled warmly in Azula's chest, and all she could do was nod before letting Iroh lead her down the hall to a balcony that overlooked the city. She watched him sit at a table where a pai sho board had been set up, as if he was anticipating bringing someone here to play. Her eyes rose and watched as the sun started to climb in the sky, its streams of light dancing between the few clouds floating by. The chill of winter was starting to settle in the still of the morning air, even in the balmy climate of her home country. She shivered unconsciously and sighed, never taking her eyes off of the east.

"Come," Iroh said to her, shaking her from her daydream. "Let us play like we did when you were a child."

Silently, Azula moved to sit across from him. As they bowed and he placed down his first tile, Azula turned and looked eastward one more time. Oh, she hoped they were alright. All of them.

But mostly him.

* * *

 _tbc._

* * *

 ** _A/N_** _Well this story is almost finished being written. I know it's been a while but I've been working on my novel a lot more lately than any of my fanfiction works. A publisher has shown interest in my work and I might be submitting some things to them in the near future, so I'm making sure everything is finished up before I focus on my recreational writing._


	9. The Fall of a Warrior

_Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA. Does anyone actually check with these anymore? Do I still have to do this every chapter? Yes? No?_

 _ **A/N WARNING:** There are graphic and detailed deaths in this chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: The Fall of a Warrior**

* * *

Holding onto his promise, Hayato had brought chaos.

An approaching army, all with the intent to kill, raced towards the small rag tag group. Seven on fifty, sound odds if you asked Toph. She was more than ready to whoop some butt, and based on the explosions that rumbled through the earth, they deserved every single pounding she could deliver to them. Yu Dao was being demolished at that very moment, bombs erupting through the City Hall and the Temple, leveling the walls and breaking up the earth.

She grit her teeth and began her own assault, sending barrages of rocks towards the oncoming attackers. She moved the ground, causing them to sink and lose their footing while her friends launched themselves forward to attack. She could feel Zuko's fear in his heart, causing him to react on instinct and take down anyone who had crossed him. She could sense his desperation to get to Hayato and Hera, to take them out and end this madness.

Katara was right behind him, incapacitating the men that Zuko hadn't sliced through or knocked down with his fire, freezing them to the ground or together before she raced towards Zuko. Toph couldn't sense any waterbenders in their ranks, which was a sigh of relief, truly. No one can undo Katara's handiwork, which would help them from having to keep beating down the same guys over and over again.

She could feel Suki and Ty Lee run towards the men attacking from behind, chi blocking and breaking bones like they were nothing more than paper. Even Mai was refraining from holding back, her knives slicing through skin at vital points and felling more than the others.

And then there was Sokka, whose back was to her, protecting her from the attacks she couldn't see. Gratitude filled her and she smiled at the thought of him looking out for her. Isn't that what he always did? He watched her back. He kept her safe. He always would. She could always count on him.

"Toph, can you tell what's happening in Yu Dao?" he asked her after knocking another man back and parrying a blow from another.

"I can," she replied with a grunt as she launched a firebender into a nonbender, knocking them both down, "but it's kind of hard to get a good read with all of these people around. We need to end this quickly so we can get back to the city. All I know is the Air Temple is destroyed and the City Hall was hit, too."

She felt Sokka disarm one of the assailants before thrusting his pommel down on their head, knocking them out. He grunted out a curse and backed up, his back now pressed against hers, and he said, "Can you ripple the ground to knock them all over? If we can incapacitate them for long enough to flee, we can get to where we have more backup."

"The people in the city are too busy trying not to die," Toph snapped as her toes dug into the ground and another masked person was trapped under a rock. "We have to get rid of them here and now. Plus-"

From across the clearing, she felt Zuko tumble to the ground, his swords flying from his hands and hitting the ground with a hard clatter. Her stomach dropped as Hayato leapt into the air to deal a killing blow, her voice caught in her throat as she sent another masked assailant face first under rubble. She felt the vibrations of Zuko's fear, but it was overshadowed by his determination to _win._ He rolled to the side, one of his swords sliding into his hands and being thrust upwards to counter Hayato's oversized boulder.

With a rush of relief coming out of her lungs, Toph returned her attention to the new wave of assailants coming her way. And after she struck down another two and launched a third into the trees, she decided one obvious thing: they _really_ needed to get out of here.

* * *

Zuko grit his teeth, a frustrated growl threatening to come out as he leapt over another wall of earth Hayato had erected. He heard the sounds of the battle behind him, the clashes of stone against steel and ice rang in his ears. He ducked under another assault, this time a ball of flames from his right, and he quickly surged forward towards Hayato once more.

"You'll never win, Fire Lord," Hayato taunted, his earth easily parting the fire Zuko launched from the edges of his swords. "The seeds of chaos have already been sowed. Soon the world will see that criminals have no business ruling countries that should have been decimated as punishment. And the other world leaders will see the results of the world's people deciding that they, too, deserve justice for the their century of inaction."

"Starting another war and destroying people's lives isn't going to fix anything!" Zuko shouted as he leapt over another large boulder and swept out a wave of flames. As Hayato sprinted into the trees, Zuko followed as he continued, "The Fire Nation is paying reparations to the other nations! We forfeited the war and turned back the lands we stole! The other world leaders are working with me as we push towards a solid alliance and peace for all of the foreseeable future!"

Hayato slipped into the canopy, practically disappearing from Zuko's view. He snarled, his hands tightening their grip on the swords, and he listened for any sign of movement.

The eerie chuckle echoed around him, coming from all sides like it had when he first ran into these damned woods. "You are foolish to think the people of the world are content with you living. Your blood was the reason the war even started. The Avatar abandoned everyone over a century ago because he was a coward, leaving the world to stew in ruin while your family destroyed homes and lives."

Zuko's jaw was starting to hurt from how hard he was gnashing his teeth together, but he had to remain calm. It was his rash nature that got them in this mess in the first place, and he needed to keep a level head to take down this man and get back to safety. Which may not be Yu Dao anymore.

"The Xi Lang is more than a mercenary group," Hayato's disembodied voice told him, still echoing around the dark trees. "We are a whole army of people who want nothing but the best for the people of the world. Yura-"

Zuko visibly flinched and swallowed past the thickness that coated his throat.

"- was just a pawn to draw you all out. He was one of many. Many people who thirst for your blood on their blades. Your survival means destruction in the end, because that's the only thing the line of Sozin is capable of. Your nation needs to suffer because of your family's misdeeds. And the people who helped you win your golden seat deserve the same treatment, because they sought the salvation of those who do not deserve it!"

 _There!_ A rustle from his right and Zuko immediately launched the hottest fire he could in that direction. A burst of brightly colored flames crackled in the trees, followed by a howl and the sound of a body hitting the ground. Zuko approached warily, his eyes focused on the flaming body, and he scowled when he saw Hayato laying in front of him, his robes charred and his arms covered with blisters and burns. His mask was now gone, revealing his face was affected as well, the skin practically boiled off and bubbling from the heat of Zuko's flames.

Quickly, Zuko extinguished them with a wave of his hand, leaving the man in the dirt as he knelt down and leveled their eyes.

"You've lost," Zuko stated, his voice low and dangerous despite the disgust he felt at himself and at the sight in front of him. "Tell me where the others are and I'll make your end swift."

Hayato choked out a wet laugh, "It's already too late, Fire Lord! Your City will be in ashes by the time you reach them. Your people will burn, and the tides of change will wash away the filth they left behind. My Master has made sure of the decimation, and soon you will see the end of your world."

Zuko's eyes widened and he felt his chest get tight. " _My_ people will burn?"

Hayato laughed again, a gurgling sound following and Zuko saw his breathing stutter as blood started to fill his mouth. He supposed the fall had broken something and it punctured his lungs. He would have to take mercy on the man... It was the least he could do.

"My Master is sieging your city as we speak," he stated, his light green eyes unfocused as he let out another laugh. "Just like what was promised. The Lady Mother, the psycho Princess, the Dragon of the West... they are all defenseless! And now my men will kill you and your friends, and the whole world will spiral out of control! The sea will rise, the ashes will fall, and the earth will crumble! No one will be able to escape!"

As Hayato kept rambling, his voice becoming choked and garbled as he went on and on, Zuko felt his stomach twist and his breathing stop. They were attacking Caldera. There were more of these men attacking his people, his _family,_ and he was stuck in the wilderness of the Earth Kingdom. As quickly as he could, Zuko stood and drew his sword. He hovered over Hayato, who had started coughing out more and more blood, his eyes glazed over, and Zuko leveled the tip of his blade at Hayato's heart. There was only a moment of hesitation, pushed aside due to the severity of the situation and the desperate desire to get back home to protect his family.

A quick thrust downward and Zuko squeezed his eyes shut. There was a sharp and silent exhale of breath, followed by gurgling noise and silence. He pulled his sword out of the now-dead rebel, then wiped it on the sparse grass at his feet. He quietly sheathed his blades and turned to make it back to the battlefield where his friends needed him. He broke out into a sprint, his mind oddly quiet, and he broke through the treeline to see the last of the rebels fighting his friends.

Zuko strode to the last of the men, a little more than half of the ones who had come to take them down, his eyes hard and his hands in tight fists. No one seemed to notice him until he was in range, but they were quickly struck down with whips of fire that burned wildly at his fists.

When he had their attention, either in awe or fear, he stopped and stared down all of the masked attackers. "Your leader is dead. Surrender now or I will personally end your lives, as well."

He hated how much he sounded like his father in that moment, twitching slightly at the hard emptiness in his voice, and he watched as half of the remaining forces raised their hands in defeat and dropped to their knees, while the other half made a run for the trees. Right at that moment, Toph and Ty Lee went to stop them but Zuko held up his hand.

"Let them go," he ordered softly. "We have more important things to worry about."

"But they'll just come back and attack us again!" Ty Lee cried out as she chi blocked one of the remaining assailants near her.

Zuko swallowed thickly and blinked past the burning in his eyes, then he stated as calmly as he could, "They are attacking Caldera. We need to get back to the Fire Nation at once."

A few gasps of shock resounded through the group, followed by one growl and a disbelieving mutter, but the others did not comment or argue on the course of action. Toph silently bound them, her earth so tight and strong not even their best earthbenders could break them. After they were rounded up and chi blocked by Suki and Ty Lee, Katara pulled water out of the closest trees and bushes, bringing it forth and creating a large cage of ice around them.

"That should hold until they can be properly detained," she stated as she wiped her hands on her shirt. Her eyes met Zuko's and she flashed him a warm smile, a bright spot against her dirty face and wind-torn hair. She approached him, water swirling to glove her hand, and she cupped his shoulder where the arrow from earlier had sunk into his flesh. "You know, you're not supposed to pull those out. It stems the bleeding if it's kept in place."

Zuko winced at the slight twinge of pain from the healing, then frowned and rolled his shoulder experimentally as she pulled her hand away. "I know but it's kind of hard to wield my swords if an arrow is lodged in my muscle."

She winked at him and he smiled in return, a calm warmth in the big chaos that had been the past few days, and he turned to the others. "Are we ready to go?"

"I'm ay-okay," Sokka chirped as he swung his sword in the air before sheathing it. Suki came up beside him and nodded with a smirk. On his other side, Toph had shuffled uncomfortably before nodding and she cracked her knuckles, as if she was covering up her unusual gesture. Zuko eyed her, but she merely scowled at him and turned away. He glanced at Katara, who shrugged, and then he looked to Ty Lee and Mai.

"We're ready."

Zuko nodded then took a deep breath. "Okay, Toph-"

A loud bellowing roar filled the air, causing everyone to look up in surprise at the source of the noise. Appa was soaring towards them, faster than he'd ever flown before, and Zuko could see a spot of orange and yellow perched on the top of his head. A smile broke out on his face when he recognized that dot as it sharpened into the familiar shape of the Avatar.

 _"Aang!"_

Appa landed with a loud thud and everyone broke into a sprint to meet him. From his seat on the bison's head, Aang grinned and gave them all a weak wave. "Am I late?"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Toph chuckled as she quickly scrambled up Appa's legs and into his saddle. "Alright let's go!"

"Let the rest of us get in," Sokka chided as he pulled himself in and sat next to her. Zuko pulled himself up and lent a hand to Katara and Suki, helping them both in before turning to help Ty Lee and Mai. To his surprise, they were already settled in near the back, ready to go. He grinned at their quick enthusiasm, then moved to sit next to the Avatar.

"I'm glad to see you up and moving," he said with genuine care as he settled down. "What's going on in Yu Dao?"

Aang snapped the reins and Appa kicked off into the sky, soaring back to Yu Dao with unprecedented speed. "After you all left, there was some commotion from the city council about the city being left vulnerable with your arrival. I was feeling well enough to speak to them and clarify the situation, and we had been doing that for the past couple of hours. After I went back home, I spoke to one of the acolytes and she said she was feeling a strange energy throughout the city, like something was wrong. I wanted to go out and find you, but I'm still hurt."

He pulled open his robe to show the bandages that had been wrapped around his torso. Some of them were starting to turn red right at the center of his wound. "I was told by our healer to stay put and help out from there, but I just couldn't. At some point in the middle of the night, I decided to visit the Spirit World and seek some guidance. Unfortunately, there wasn't a spirit that could help us since this was a human matter and honestly they don't give two monkey feathers about us humans-"

"Aang, back on track please," Zuko interrupted.

The Avatar had the nerve to look sheepish as he apologized and continued, "Right as the sun hit the top of the mountain, a bomb went off at city hall. Most of the citizens were still in their homes or had been helping clean up the mess from your ship being destroyed, so no one was inside when it went off. But then the temple blew up, trapping most of the acolytes, and then the walls surrounding the city started to go, too. I had been working on clearing out the rubble all morning when I got a strange feeling again. By that time, most of my acolytes were safe, so I hopped onto Appa to come find you guys."

"The man who was leading this group of insurgents said that the other cities around the world were suffering the same fate," Zuko mentioned, watching as Aang's eyes widened in fear. "I have to get back to the Fire Nation. He said that their Master is there now, attacking my people and my family."

Aang nodded and snapped Appa's reins again. The Air Bison soared over the trees, then the wreckage that was Yu Dao came into view. Zuko gnashed his teeth together and stared with shock at the destruction: the entire wall that protected the city was crumbled, falling into chasms that now jutted through the ground. The City Hall halfway collapsed near the western wing, where all of the officials had their offices. The Air Acolyte Temple was completely destroyed, the roof caved in and the remains of a fire being doused with buckets of water and dirt.

Toph's Metalbending school was still in disrepair, the only thing left being the once-strudy foundations and the roof that had been blasted away when Toph, Sokka, and her students emerged from the rubble yesterday.

Zuko chewed on his lip and felt his eyes drift to his lap. Had it really only been a day? It felt like ages since they landed in Yu Dao so Katara could heal Aang, and now they were rushing back to his home to protect the ones he loved. As they flew past Yu Dao's destruction and made it to the bay, Zuko contemplated how destroyed his own home would be. He was their target, who the Xi Lang truly hated, so he was certain the whole entire city would be in flames. The palace would likely be gone, lost to vengeful earthbenders and those powerful bombs. His family would be inside, likely crushed under the wreckage, and he was gone. Unable to protect them.

"If they are still there, I can help evacuate the citizens," Aang offered from his side, breaking him out of his dismal daydream. "I can't fight in my condition but I won't sit by and let your people be threatened for doing nothing wrong."

Zuko clasped him on the shoulder and gave him a grateful smile. Despite all that had happened in the past few weeks, he could always count on Aang. Even if they both were a little worse for wear or close to death. Aang would always have his back. And he was determined to let him know as such. However before he could speak, he spotted a ship of his own in the water, heading in the direction of Yu Dao, and he pointed it out to Aang. "Take us down there."

"But we need to-"

"Those are my men," Zuko stated, his voice firm and not betraying of his worry. "They might be looking for me."

Aang nodded and steered Appa down, who groaned and soared towards the steamer. As soon as the bison landed on the deck, Zuko leapt from his head and searched for the commanding officer. The men there stared in shock for a long moment before their senses returned and they bowed to their king, but Zuko didn't pay them any mind. Immediately realized he was on an Imperial Firebender ship, which could have only been deployed under his order or Iroh's in his stead.

He strode up to the closest man - a lieutenant, he recognized - and he asked swiftly, "Who is in charge on this ship?"

The man straightened up yet avoided Zuko's eyes - yet another thing he despised about being Fire Lord - and replied, "Admiral Jee, sir. He's-"

"Right here."

Zuko whirled around and met the eyes of his own former lieutenant, an aged man whose grin made his eyes crinkle at the edges. Zuko returned the grin and they bowed in respect to each other.

"General Iroh had informed me that there was an incident, and he requested we assist you," Jee explained. "Is something the matter?"

"Actually, yes," Zuko replied. He then realized how roughed up he appeared, covered almost head to toe with dirt and soot and blood from himself and the people he battled that morning. "Yu Dao had been attacked. And from my understanding, Caldera is under siege as we speak."

Muttering and curses came from the crew in earshot and he frowned. "We are heading back there now but the people of Yu Dao could use some more support. Keep on course and help out in any way you can. The crew that had taken us there is still in the city. Our airship was destroyed and- "

Jee's heavy hand landed on his shoulder and Zuko raised his eyebrow at the normally stoic man's eased expression. "We'll handle it. Go help our people."

For the second time in the past hour, gratitude warmed Zuko and he gave his former shipmate a relaxed smile. "Thank you."

Without waiting for Jee's reply, he leapt back onto Appa, climbing to the saddle, and told Aang to take off once more.

* * *

The ride to the Fire Nation capitol was tense and silent. Katara watched as Zuko anxiously sat at the edge of the saddle, his eyes roaming the horizon for the volcano he called home. She spent the beginning of the trip pulling water from the clouds and using it to heal everyone's wounds, from the scratches on Ty Lee and Mai to a burn on Suki's palm. Once Toph was fixed up she moved back to Sokka, who had taken up relaxing against the lip of the saddle as he clutched at his injured side.

"I know I healed it up all the way," she muttered as she peeled his hand off and lifted up his tunic. The healed skin had split again, causing more blood to seep through and bead down to his hip. "Sokka, I'm going to need to stop the bleeding with a bandage-"

"I have some in my pack!"

Katara whirled around to see Aang climb into the saddle and rummage through one of his bags. He pulled out a clean roll of bandages and handed them over to her, a closed-lip grin on his face as he did. She smiled in return, feeling a weird flare of awkwardness surge through her as she did. Despite the fact that she had already seen him since they broke up, he had been unconscious and on the verge of dying. This had to be the healthiest he had been since before he left the Fire Nation.

"Thanks, Aang."

His grin grew, but he stayed silent. Instead, he climbed back over to Appa's head and gripped the reins again. He and Zuko exchanged a few words and Appa adjusted his course ever so slightly. Katara sighed, that awkwardness not fading, and she brought her attention back to Sokka. She knew Aang was hiding behind a facade. He always did when he was uncomfortable or upset.

As she worked with the bandages, cutting up a folded square to place on the wound and wrapping the rest around Sokka's torso, she listened as Mai and Ty Lee muttered to themselves, their words almost lost in the whipping winds.

"... had to have gone back to Yu Dao."

"The bombs already went off there," Ty Lee replied, her voice flat. "Hera might have just fled into the forest where we wouldn't be able to find her."

"What if she was already on her way to Caldera?" Mai asked, eyes wide and lips in a deep frown. "If she had a war balloon she would have made it there by now. We were fighting for hours. Plus she had hid in your ship after coming from Caldera. She could have easily sneaked around and placed the bombs before setting off the ones at Toph's school and the airship. She was playing you all from the start so it wouldn't be a reach..."

Katara glanced over to see Mai frowning, her slanted eyes darting to Zuko as she chewed on her lip. "But I certainly hope that's not the case. Knowing her and what she's done already, there's no chance she would have held any punches when it came to destroying our home."

She didn't understand what Mai was implying and didn't have time to figure it out, because Zuko was pulling to his feet and telling Aang to spur Appa even more. Katara looked ahead to see the dormant volcano that held the Fire Nation's capitol city, and the stacks of smoke that rose from the top. Her breath lodged in her throat and she gaped at the sight. With how much smoke was rising, it looked as if the volcano was active again.

Katara reached for his hand, taking it with hers, but he did not look down to meet her eyes. Instead she watched his face show his horror and distress, his head shaking back and forth in disbelief. She could see his lips moving fractionally, a soft mutter coming out that was lost in the wind.

This was possibly his worst nightmare as a king.

The next moments passed in painful silence, all eyes on the approaching volcano. The blackened smoke billowed into the sky, the sounds of destruction growing louder and louder as they flew over Sozin's Bay and started gaining altitude with the mountain slope. The sun was starting to set the moment they crossed over the lip of the caldera, and immediately Katara's heart stopped.

The city was aflame, homes and buildings destroyed in rubble of bombs and attacks, the people who could fleeing towards the exit of the city with screams of their agony ringing in the air. The palace was surprisingly still standing, however the southern tower was drowned in roaring flames and black smoke. Katara could see masked men disrupting the earth, blowing fire to the houses, and striking Fire Nation soldiers with sickles and swords. Based on the amount of people left in the city and the sheer level of catastrophe, Katara could only guess that the siege had been happening since the explosions happened at Yu Dao that morning.

Appa swooped down into the plaza in front of the burning palace and Zuko was leaping out of the saddle before he had the chance to land. The Fire Lord rolled to his feet and lunged to the closest person he could find, his flaming fist connecting with their mask and shattering it into a hundred pieces. The others followed his lead, leaping from Appa's back and rushing into another battle. Toph remained in the saddle and over the roar of the fires and the attacks, Katara could barely hear her order Aang to go to the people of the city.

Katara brought her attention back to the battle and pulled out as much water as she could from the drains below. Her first priority was getting out the fires and protecting her friends. The vortex she created spun up to the palace, dowsing the flames with a loud hiss and causing an eruption of steam to encase the nearby area. She grabbed it with her bending, forming it back into water, then scattered it in the air to rain down on the other burning buildings near them.

A gust of wind swirled around the city and Katara raised her head and smiled at the passing bison and his commander, who was moving the air in forceful gusts and sucking the life out of the destructive flames as he passed by. Her attention was diverted, however, by an approaching masked man and his bloody sickle. She frowned, then pulled more water out of the drain to bring to her aid.

Before she could attack, there was another series of explosions, coming from the palace and the arena to the north. The shockwaves from the blast knocked her to her knees, causing the water she was holding to fall. The man she had been facing was staring up at the palace, arms slack and she turned to see what he had been looking at. The section she had just dowsed was now collapsing, flaming boulders tumbling and crashing into the ground. Her eyes darted to the entrance of the palace, where flames were battling against more of the masked men as they attempted to storm inside.

A flare of blue flames caught her attention and as another masked attacker fell Katara was surprised to see Azula side by side with Iroh and several of the Kyoshi Warriors, her eyes fierce as she struck down person after person. Her precision was deadly but she did not kill, which shocked Katara more than she would care to admit.

She brought her attention back to the man that had been in front of her, doing her best to ignore the raging destruction behind her, and she pulled her water back up and whipped him away, freezing the ice as it connected with his chest. As he soared back and out of her sight, she turned and brought her attention to Zuko, who was in the middle of battling three different masked assailants with his swords and fire.

She raced to his side, sliding on ice and knocking over one of their enemies with a wave. She spotted the look of gratitude he gave her, then they both settled into familiar stances, ready to attack and protect. As Zuko kicked out an arc of flames, Katara ducked down and mirrored him, sweeping out another wave of water to strike them from below. Both assailants were knocked over, down for the count, and quickly the two benders moved onto the next challengers.

Suddenly, Katara looked up and saw a stray war balloon drifting above, and a familiar face looking down at the battle with a whimsical look in her eyes. Katara wasted no time, bending a long javelin out of ice, and chucking it up to the balloon. Immediately, it pierced the fabric, causing the air to fly out and the balloon to careen towards the ground.

She turned to Zuko, who had gazed upon the incident with an incredulous look, and she shouted, "It's Hera!"

His confusion quickly turned to rage and he sprinted towards the balloon as it crashed into the plaza. Katara followed him, but was quickly cut off by two more masked enemies. She growled in frustration and used more of the drain water to sweep them out of her way and launch them against the fence that surrounded the plaza. She spun on her toes, pushing against the ground and sprinting to Zuko once more.

As she reached his right side, Hera climbed out of the fallen balloon and was glaring down at them with such vehement rage Katara felt it shiver up her spine. The scowl she held was deep as she stumbled out and unsteadily got back to her feet. She withdrew her rope dart and let a red flame bloom in her open palm, and she sneered, "You're supposed to be dead."

"And you're supposed to be loyal to the crown," Zuko snapped back. "Lots of us are doing what's not expected of them today."

Hera all but snarled and went to attack, but she was stopped when another man handed in a crouch next to her, joining the fray. Katara recoiled when he straightened up, showing off his disfigured face as he pulled down his hood and grinned at them.

"Fire Lord Zuko," he commented, his voice clear and low. "How surprising it is that you are alive. I assume you killed Hayato, then?"

Zuko rolled his sword in his grip, the steel singing through the air. "Swiftly."

The man hummed and he gave a simple shrug. "A shame, really. But no matter. What's done is done."

"Who are you?" Katara demanded as she took a short step forward, her water cloaking her arms as she glared.

The man's eyes shot to her and he smiled, somehow serene as he sized her up. The way the one on his scarred side seemed so empty and unseeing as he looked at her sent a chill down her spine. She let her gaze flicker to the right side of his face and immediately she thought of Zuko's scar, but that had been much more concentrated into a small area. This scar, however, looked like his skin had been melted off and left to heal without any aid. He tendons of his cheek were visible through the valleys of skin, moving as he rolled his jaw and grinned.

It was a horrific reminder of the deep wounds from the Hundred Year War.

"I am Takeshi," he remarked, not even bothering with mystery. What was the point now that they had reached their endgame? "I am the leader of the Xi Lang, the _true_ leader."

She noticed Zuko shift and his grip on his swords tightened. "You were behind this. All of it."

It wasn't a question, which revealed Zuko's fury. Katara felt chilled at his icy tone, something she knew she never wanted to hear come out of him again. Sometimes she forgot that Zuko always had some amount of rage simmering beneath the surface, always threatening to burst through with his short temper. He had gotten better in the past years, and there were very few times she saw him snap anymore.

Right now was beyond that.

Takeshi chuckled and he pulled out a pair of daggers, swinging them in his hands as he spoke, "Indeed I was. I had many willing participants, all who wanted you and your friends dead."

An explosion on the other side of the city punctuated his statement.

"Well done with the bombs, Hera," he commented to his companion. "Your swift action helped us secure our victory today."

"Thank you, Master," she murmured with a small bow, the devotion clear in her tone.

"You haven't won anything," Zuko argued, his voice still low and his eyes burning with his wrath. "I still live. We are all alive while your men parish at our hands."

"I would not speak so soon, young Lord," Takeshi chided with a click of his tongue. "You have not won yet, either. Your city has fallen. And soon you shall be, as well."

She heard Zuko mutter under his breath as he rolled his shoulders, "What is with all of these vague and poetic threats today?"

"I think its a requirement for their club," Katara whispered back, causing Zuko to smirk as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Katara readied her water, letting it ripple in her own silent threat, and she licked her lips in anticipation. Someone had to strike, and she had to be-

A loud explosion came from the palace again, knocking Katara into Zuko as she turned and watched the entrance start to collapse. The people battling there were all running out of the way, falling to the ground as more rubble crashed into the stairs. Through the dust, Katara could see Suki and Sokka running away from the destruction, then as Suki pulled out her katana and deflected the rocks that were being launched at them from an irate earthbender that was missing an arm.

Her attention was brought back to the battle, when Takeshi let go of his knives and moved into an earthbending stance. Much to her shock and horror, the knives floated in the air like they were being held up by invisible strings. Zuko must have had the same amount of shock, because his jaw dropped and his eyes bulged out of his head at the sight.

"Surprised?" Takeshi mocked with a haughty smile. "Your little blind friend isn't the only one who learned how to metalbend."

Too absorbed in the sudden revelation, Katara didn't have time to react when Takeshi thrust his foot into the ground, causing a block of earth to erupt right in front of her. The rock slammed into her chest, launching her away from the battle and into the air. She heard Zuko scream her name, but it was lost as she zoomed further and further away. Her stomach dropped as her body started falling, her head swimming and her heart hammering. She couldn't call up enough water to cushion her fall. The ground was rushing towards her and she was going to-

She landed face-first into a familiar smelling leather, her body jarred from the impact but still in one piece. She lifted her head, dizzy from the fall, and she met Aang's concerned eyes.

"Aang..."

"Are you alright?"

She swallowed and nodded, not able to articulate her surprise and appreciation, and Aang helped her to her feet.

"Can you still fight?"

Katara laid a hand on her chest, sensing for any serious injuries, and she nodded when she felt only some moderate bruising and a minor snapped rib. "I'll be fine. I need to go help Zuko."

She met Aang's eyes again and he gave her solemn nod before telling Appa to land. As she slid out of the saddle, he called down to her. "Please be careful!"

Her smile was soft as she replied, "Of course. I always am."

* * *

The moment Suki took her first breath, she knew she was supposed to be a protector. From what she protected those whom she loved, she did not know at the time. But now, as age caught up with her and along with it the wisdom that can guide her, Suki knew _who_ she wanted to protect the most: her friends. Her family. Her lover. Life had a funny way of telling her that the ones she cared about the most needed her, whether it be Sokka showing up where she and the other Kyoshi Warriors had been helping refugees, or when Mai requested her help with protecting a weary and vulnerable Zuko.

And now, as the capitol city of the Fire Nation crumbled and burned, she knew that they both needed her to protect them.

The entire south wing of the palace was up in flames again, the structure crumbling and crashing down into the plaza after another bomb blasted through the structure. Dust and smoke filled the air and in that moment she so desperately wished she was an airbender. She could see Sokka rush towards the palace, where Azula was fighting alongside Iroh and the other Kyoshi Warriors on the remaining steps. They were pushing their opponents back out into the plaza and towards the gates, while Toph was working on evacuating the rest of the citizens of Caldera away from the destruction.

Katara had taken up battling back to back with Zuko for a time, but now was suddenly nowhere to be seen. She thought she saw Aang and Appa fly by, but it was hard to tell if they had teamed up with Katara for the time being or if he was doing something else.

Mai and Ty Lee were cornering off most of the masked assailants into an unoccupied part of the city, taking them down with practiced ease. Suki's katana clashed with a faceless man's jian, right as her other hand thrust out and chi blocked him in the shoulder. Her eyes darted over to Zuko, her charge, and saw he had sheathed his swords and was clashing with both Hera and a scarred man by himself. He was keeping himself above water, unsurprisingly, but Suki was starting to fear that he was about to be overwhelmed and drown. She could see the way he favored his right side, as if he was hurt in his ribcage, and even at this distance his breathing was appearing to be labored.

There was a shout coming from the palace, causing Suki to whirl around and watch as Azula tackled one of her Warriors as rubble crashed to the ground right where they had been standing. A proud smile made its way to her lips, and an unbidden memory of her older brother doing the same thing flashed through Suki's mind.

Speaking of her older brother...

Suki sprinted towards the Fire Lord, leaping over fallen Xi Lang members. Her boots squelched in the blood that was seeping into the cracks in the cobblestones, her nose wrinkled at the smell of death and destruction starting to permeate through the air. Her eyes zeroed in on Zuko, who had taken up leaping over Hera's rope dart as he shot a blast of rainbow flames at the scarred man. A shield of rock protected him, followed by a shocking assault of knives curving around the wall and towards Zuko, as if the man was moving them with bending. Zuko flipped backwards, eyes never leaving his opponents, and he landed like an airbender before he lowered himself to the ground in a wild spin, sending fire in all directions. Suki drew her fans and batted the stray flame that had come towards her then sprinted to his side.

"Took you long enough," he remarked to her breathlessly as he pressed his back to hers and faced down the scarred man.

"Sorry, I got caught up saving my boyfriend's butt," she chirped as she deflected the knife Hera had thrown at her.

She felt Zuko send out another blaze before punching away another rock when he turned his head towards her and said suddenly, "Phoenix Flower. Now!"

 _"What?!"_

Zuko ducked and Suki moved automatically, her knees sinking and her body bracing for what Zuko was preparing to do next. Despite the fact that they had only practiced this maneuver _once_ he thought they were seamless enough to pull it off. Fortunately, the spirits were on their side as Zuko leapt up, his feet using her back as a spring board, and she kept steady as he sent another spiral of flames out towards their opponents, blooming out like a flaming flower. Right as he landed, they both sprung forwards, Suki to the scarred man and Zuko to Hera. She followed the flames like they were her guide, until she was right in the scarred man's face and striking him.

He dodged clumsily, not expecting the Kyoshi Warrior to be the one to attack, and quickly reoriented himself by falling into the earth and disappearing entirely. Suki paused, her heart in her throat, and she made her way back to Zuko to protect his back. He was who they were after, and to them Suki was just an obstacle to the main attraction.

"You'll never get out of here alive, _my liege_ ," Hera snarled as a red flame was launched over. Suki watched Zuko bat it away like a fly and push forward, his hands knocking away her strikes with every step. "I will personally make sure of it!"

At that same moment, the scarred man sprung out of the ground in between them, drawing out a short yari and thrusting down at the Fire Lord. Zuko parried with his now-drawn daos, then kicked out another wave of flames to get them away. He staggered backwards, his breath coming out in harsh pants, and he clutched at his side when he reached her.

"I can't keep going like this," he breathed out, a twinge of pain becoming evident on his face. "We have to take them out now."

"They're going to keep this up until we separate them," Suki remarked as both the scarred man and Hera began circling them like they were wounded prey. Which in Zuko's case, they were. "I'll take out Hera, you work on the scarred guy."

"That's their leader," Zuko told her, his voice tight as he readjusted himself and sank low into his knees. "His name is Takeshi. And I don't think I can beat him the way I am right now."

Suki met his eyes and she saw the fear and acceptance there. She knew he was going to hold off Takeshi as best as he could until their friends arrived at their side, and if he had to he go down in order to take him out he would immediately do it to protect his people and his friends.

"Don't do anything stupid," she ordered. "I can't protect you if you keep trying to get yourself killed."

He flashed her a lopsided grin and winked with his scarred eye - a bad sign, Suki felt in her gut - and he didn't reply as he turned on his heel and launched himself towards Takeshi, tackling the other man to the ground. Suki didn't watch, instead she brought her full attention to Hera and went on the offensive, throwing her closed fan at the other woman with deadly precision, hitting her in the throat and causing her to stumble back. Suki took this opportunity to take her down, drawing her katana and lunging forward to incapacitate her as best as she could.

Hera saw this coming and quickly recovered, flipping backwards and kicking the sword out of Suki's hands. When she landed on her feet, the sword miraculously fell right into her grip.

"This is an impressive sword," she remarked with that loathsome smirk. "I think it would be ideal to stick into the Fire Lord's back."

Suki pulled out her two remaining fans, opening them and sinking down. "I will die before I let you hurt him."

Hera chuckled and rolled the sword with her wrist. "Such lively words from a dead woman."

There was a shout from behind them and both Suki and Hera turned to see Takeshi clutching at his side, blood gushing through his fingertips as Zuko wavered on his feet. One of his swords fell to the ground, staining the stones with more blood and Zuko fell to his knee. Takeshi dropped down as well, blood spilling from his mouth as he struggled to make the forms to bring forth his earth.

There was a cackle from her side, causing Suki to look and see Hera start moving towards the two men, the stolen katana glinting in the sunlight as she sprinted forward.

In that moment, Suki's mind went blank. She watched in slow motion as Hera ran towards Zuko, and Zuko struggled to lift his arm that still held one of his swords. She heard Takeshi's weak laughter mingle with Hera's maniacal squeals, and the shouts of Zuko's name from two separate Water Tribe warriors as they ran to his aid.

Her eyes zeroed in on her charge, and she knew what had to be done. Her feet carried her without a thought, sprinting to Zuko faster than Hera could, and she slid in between them with no hesitation. Hera's dark eyes widened as her arm came arcing down, unable to stop, and the clean sword's shine blinding Suki from her fate.

 _Her_ name was now being shouted, echoing in her ears as her eyes slid shut and peace and acceptance washed over her. Everything went completely silent as the sharp edge of her own weapon pierced through her thin armor and into her chest.

Her eyes shot open at the pain, an agonizing spark that reverberated throughout her entire body. She wobbled in place, gravity taking over as she lost control of her own limbs, and she felt the sensation of arms wrapping around her and holding her in place. Her vision was blurred but she saw a red clad body tackle Hera out of her sight, pulling the sword with her, then a pair of glassy blue eyes filled her field of vision and the welcoming smell of leather and pine filled her senses.

" _Suki!_ "

"H-hey, Sokka."

His hands clawed at the wound in her chest, pressing down on it like he could stitch her back together with the sheer power of his will. She could hear Zuko's anguished shouts, melding together with Sokka's cries for Katara. Suki tasted the blood on the back of her tongue as it climbed up her throat, closing off her air and drowning her slowly.

"S-sokka, stop."

He shook his head furiously and cried even harder. " _No!_ We're going to heal you. You're going to be fine, baby. I promise, okay?"

Suki felt her heart falter and break at the sight of his fearful face, and she ached to comfort him and reassure him, no matter how grim the prognosis had become. Her hand trembled as she reached for his face, and her palm left blood on his cheek as she held him close. Vaguely, she noticed a strange cooling sensation wash over her, stemming from the wound in her chest. There was another shadow over her, probably Katara. But it was hard to tell when all she could focus on was Sokka's distressed face in the light of the fires behind them.

"S-stop," she stammered. Her heart started palpitating unevenly in her chest, struggling to keep her alive with the lack of blood she had inside. Her stomach quivered and her eyes started to tear up at the thought of dying. She felt the blood leak past her lips, causing Sokka to cry even harder as he pressed his forehead to hers and began rocking them back and forth.

She was starting to lose feeling in her fingers and toes.

"Don't you dare die on me, Suki!" he wailed. His tears started splattering on her face. "I can't lose you, too! _Katara, do something!_ "

Suki faintly heard Katara reply, but her voice was too warbled behind the ringing in her ears. It must have not been something Sokka wanted to hear, because his crying increased and he clutched Suki even harder. The edges of her vision were starting to go dark, and she could feel her heart struggling even harder but losing the fight. Her fingers were still trembling against Sokka's cheek where he held them in place, but she knew she wasn't feeling them anymore. She couldn't feel his touch or taste his sweet breath as he pressed his lips against hers in a desperate kiss.

All she could taste was her blood, and she was drowning in it.

Her eyes roamed over to Zuko and she watched as he parried a blow by Hera, spinning out of the way of a second strike and suddenly thrusting his sword into her chest. Just like Hera had done to Suki. She watched him stagger backwards, stumbling to the ground as Hera gave him a small smirk and fell face-first onto the cobblestones, her blood flowing out like a river.

The sensation of justice flowed through her, washing away the pain of dying and calming her overworked heart. Sokka turned her head back to him and he frantically looked into her eyes, the fear evident as he began to visibly panic.

" _Kat-!_ "

"S-sokka, stop," Suki choked past her blood. He looked down at her, distraught at her comment, and she continued, "It's o-over."

"No! No, it's not over! Please hold on, Suki!"

She tried to shake her head, but instead it just lolled into his arm, her blood spilling out of her mouth and onto his shirt. "Please..."

Sokka stared at her with disbelief, eyes wide and broken. She pushed past the encroaching darkness and managed to give him one last smile as she said softly, "I l-lo-love y-you."

His tears began anew as he sobbed, "I love you, too! Please don't leave me!"

The darkness filled her vision and she felt her heart slow, too weak to go on. And with her last breath, Suki knew she had done what she was meant to: she protected her friend. To the very end.

 _"Suki!"_

* * *

 _tbc._

* * *

 ** _A/N_** _don't hate me._


	10. Hard Choices

_Disclaimer: I don't._

 _ **A/N** I know, please don't kill me and forsake this story. It's almost done, anyway._

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: Hard Choices**

* * *

Her hands trembled as she drew the water to Suki's chest, desperately trying to knit together the torn skin and organs as her lifeblood spilled out and soaked the stones beneath their knees. Sokka's cries didn't help, neither did the heartwrenching shouts that came from Zuko as he struck at Hera. Vaguely, she noticed the sounds of battle had quieted, and the roars of flames had ceased from behind her. But maybe that was from her being hyper-focused on saving Suki's life, no matter how futile it felt.

At the angle of the wound, Katara knew immediately that Hera had skewered through Suki's heart and lung. No matter what she did, it wouldn't be quick enough. Suki was already fading too fast.

"If she was associated with you, she deserved to die!"

Katara jerked her head towards the offending scream, her eyes locking on Hera as she used Suki's sword to parry another one of Zuko's strikes. She could see the tears in his eyes as he grit his teeth and forced his sword closer to her, his power overwhelming her and pushing her down.

He was silent, however. No words from the mighty Fire Lord as he attacked his friend's killer with swords cloaked in his fire. Katara swallowed past the thickness in her throat and willed away the tears that were burning in her eyes. She shouldn't be thinking like that. Suki wasn't dead. She wasn't going to die.

As Katara pulled up more water and brought it to Suki's unchanging wound, she saw Zuko dodge a thrust by Hera, then parried her clumsy strike. After she tried to slash at him again he spun on his toes, one sword high and the other low, and he moved to take her down. He moved as if he was in an elegant dance, his face severe and blank and his eyes full of his pain.

The moment Zuko's glowing sword pierced Hera's chest, just like Hera had done to Suki, Katara let out a sharp breath and sobbed. It wasn't relief that had washed over her, not quite. Maybe relief had been there, but it had been overshadowed by her fear of not being able to save Suki. She was getting lightheaded from all of the strain she was putting on her body, yet her heart felt like lead in her chest.

Zuko fell to his knees, his sword clattering on the ground as Hera looked at him with disbelief. The woman had muttered something, then fell face-forward into the ground. As her blood started soaking the stones beneath her body, Zuko had reached a trembling hand out and gripped the sword that had been lodged in her chest. He pulled it out with a wet noise, then dropped it to the stones by his knees. If Katara wasn't busy healing Suki, she would have gone to him. But her bloodied hands were too deep in Suki's chest, trying their hardest to seal the wound shut and keep her alive.

But as much as she tried to move the blood back in, with every beat of Suki's heart leaked out more than Katara had put back in. Her frustrated tears burned in her eyes and her chest felt like it couldn't move. How could she breathe if her brother's lover was dying in her hands?

" _Kat-!_ "

"S-sokka, stop."

Both Katara and Sokka looked down at Suki, who had taken up giving him a reassuring, yet bloody, smile.

"It's o-over."

Sokka's tears began anew and he shook his head vehemently. "No! No, it's not over! Please hold on, Suki!"

Suki had tried to shake her head as well, but she just moved it right into Sokka's arm, more blood leaking out of her mouth as she choked out, "Please..."

The sensation of Suki's lifeforce was flickering and fading in her fingertips, her heart slowing as it finally began succumbing to the loss of blood. Katara sobbed and pushed even harder, one hand focusing on using her water to stitch up the wound and the other desperately trying to use her bloodbending to keep Suki's heart beating. But a heart couldn't beat if it had no blood, and Katara realized most of Suki's was soaking through her tunic and pants as it flowed down onto the ground.

Sokka looked at Suki with pure disbelief, more heartbreak in his eyes than when Yue had died. Katara watched as Suki gave him a slow smile, so warm and loving as she said, "I l-lo-love y-you."

When his tears began anew and he sobbed, Katara did her best to look away as he cried out, "I love you, too! Please don't leave me!"

At that moment, Katara felt Suki's heart finally falter to a stop. The Kyoshian's eyes were still open, her lips still pulled into a reassuring smile for Sokka, yet she was gone. Katara saw Toph running to them, her unseeing eyes wide with disbelief, but she wasn't looking at Suki. She was looking at Sokka, listening to him cry out and scream for his lost love.

 _"Suki!"_

Katara finally blinked and let her tears start to fall, cascading down and splattering onto Suki's blood soaked shirt. She noticed Zuko had crawled over to them, the look of anguish plain on his face as he stared at their fallen friend. She saw him reach forward, his arm trembling as he brought his hand over her face and slowly moved down, shutting her eyelids and giving her the look of restful sleep instead of death.

There was a shout, bringing Katara back to the present, and she saw Toph start defending them with a large rock wall and sending her own attacks over to take out more of the masked men. A flare of blue fire and a bolt of lightning joined the fray, coming from Azula as she raced to their side. Iroh was ahead of her, his flanks protected by the Kyoshi Warriors as they rounded together to protect the body of their fallen leader.

"Zuko!"

Iroh knelt down and placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder, his eyes wide as he looked at Suki's body and the amount of damage on the other teens.

"We must get you to safety."

Zuko shook his head and made to stand, his legs wobbly and his posture uneven as he inhaled raggedly. "No. I need to protect my people. I can't do that from a bunker, not after I've been out here for so long."

Iroh gave him a reprimanding look, but remained silent. Azula skidded to a stop next to them, her stare going straight to Suki and Sokka. Her lips were pulled into a tight line and then her eyes flickered up to Katara, holding her gaze for a moment, then she went into action. Quickly, she called for one of the Kyoshi Warriors and went to Sokka's side, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him out of his revere.

"Sokka, come on."

He shook his head weakly, his eyes never leaving Suki's pale face.

"We are in the middle of a battle, we can't sit around and mourn the dead yet."

The Kyoshi Warrior that Azula had gotten, Tula, had knelt down next to Katara and reached across Suki's body to grab Sokka's bloodied hand. "Please, Sokka. We need to move her body."

The calmness that came from Tula chilled Katara to the bone, but she had to remind herself that they were warriors. The Kyoshians were used to death within their ranks. But just as Sokka lifted his head, eyes furious and mouth in a snarl ready to snap, the familiar sound of a loud horn bellowed through the city. Katara's eyes met Sokka's and they both turned towards the entrance of the caldera, where in the light of the rising moon and the remaining fires, Katara could see the blues of the Southern Water Tribe march into the city. Warriors from their home were already rushing into battle, striking down masked men and corralling them towards the plaza.

Everything afterwards seemed like a blur: the men of the Southern Water Tribe swarming the city and weeding out the rest of the masked rebels, then storming the central square and the palace plaza to keep them from escaping. Her father had arrived at some point in time, his large hands holding her face and asking if she was alright after he practically ripped Sokka away from Suki's body.

By the time the commotion had ended and no more bombs were going off or fires were raging, Katara watched as the sun rose in the east and washed the city with a pale glow. Her eyes immediately went to Zuko, who was standing off by himself near the gates of the plaza, where Suki fell and where Takeshi's and Hera's bodies were still strewn on the cobblestones.

"Zuko?"

His eyes snapped up to her as she approached, seeming to break himself out of the daze he had been in. His body wavered in place before he steadied himself and showed her a weak smile. "Hey."

"What are you doing over here?"

Zuko's eyes drifted down to Takeshi's body and his demeanor changed to sour as he scowled. "Wondering what I should do with him."

Katara followed his gaze and was horrified to see that Takeshi was still breathing, his damaged eye looking up at them and his breaths coming out in harsh pants. Zuko adjusted his grip on his sword and looked as if he was debating on the benefits of slicing off the man's head, but Katara limped over to him and grabbed his wrist, stopping him from even considering it.

"He needs to be brought to justice, Zuko," she murmured, a sudden wave of dizziness washing over her. She stumbled, but Zuko caught her, his free hand clamping onto her waist to keep her in place. After she regained her balance, she met his eyes and added, "He has to answer for his crimes. Execute him in front of an audience, announce all associated with him as terrorists. That way you can solidify your strength as leader despite your absence and bring the people together under a common enemy. He brought all of the destruction, and he deserves to have people cheer as he dies."

The intensity in Zuko's eyes was dizzying for her. He stared at her silently, his mouth pulled down at the corners and his jaw betraying his hard look with a soft quiver. He inhaled sharply, then dropped his sword and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. They remained like that for a long moment, uncaring of any prying eyes that had seen the Fire Lord's sudden move of affection, and Katara felt herself finally relax after what felt like the most trying four days of her life. Almost as equal as the days leading up to Sozin's Comet passing.

"I can arrange an execution tonight," he sighed into her hair, his hand coming up and threading his fingers through the knotted ends. "Him and all of the rest of the Xi Lang that are here."

"And the New Ozai Society."

Zuko and Katara pulled apart to see Mai approaching them, the bored look ever present on her pale face. Zuko frowned and he narrowed his eyes at her. "Your father's men were here?"

Katara's eyes bulged out and she stared at the former lovers in shock, stunned to hear this revelation.

Mai's face pulled into a disgusted frown as she supplied, "Apparently my father and his men were joined by some of the Xi Lang and had attempted to attack the Southern Water Tribe-"

Katara's heart stuttered in her chest at the thought of her home being attacked.

"- since it was still growing and had no real line of defense like the North. He was cut off north of Whale Tail Island by Hakoda and the other Water Tribe men. They had already been in route to Caldera when it happened, so nothing happened to the tribe."

Katara almost felt like Mai had added on that last bit to comfort Katara, a thought she was immediately grateful for. Her eyes went to her father, who had just stepped away from the group of captive Xi Lang members and was making his way to Iroh and Azula. He watched as the two men bowed in respect to each other and Hakoda greet Azula in the same manner, which she returned with a raised eyebrow and an elbow in the side by Iroh. She gave Hakoda a small bow, more curt than the one he had given her but Katara deemed it progress.

"And what of this group of attackers?"

Mai paused for a moment, long enough for Katara to bring her attention back to the conversation, and she watched the woman chew on her lip and sigh, "The ship was sunk, and from Bato's account all of the men on board either were killed immediately or drowned."

The almost-disconnected apathy Mai displayed was flabbergasting, but before Katara could say anything, Zuko reached out to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Katara noticed he had almost curled in on himself, as if he was injured, but he pushed through it to give Mai a sympathetic look and say, "I'm so sorry, Mai."

"He stopped being my father the moment he forsook his family to further his own goals," she replied steadily, her face not showing any sign of duress. "His sullied our honor by creating that little club of his."

When she sighed again and winced, Katara noticed she had been nursing her hand against her chest, hidden in her long sleeves. "Mai, are you hurt? I can look at it, if you'd like."

The noblewoman chuckled bitterly and shook her head, her other hand lifting up to pull the sleeve back and reveal her other hand. Or at least, where her hand had been. Instead there was a bandaged stump, a small dot of red peeking through the stark white. Zuko inhaled sharply and Katara saw his eyes widen at the sight. Her jaw dropped in shock, words lost as her mind tried to grasp the situation.

"What happened?"

Mai grinned and shrugged, her voice wry when she said, "A man with a sickle and a mean right hook. Spoils of war, I suppose? Ty Lee already took good care of it. There's just the matter of how I'm going to relearn to write with my other hand. Toph did offer to make up a contraption that looked like a prosthetic but had the same abilities as my knife holder, so I guess it's not as bad as it would seem."

"Mai, you lost a hand!" Zuko exclaimed, confused and outraged at the same time. "Are you sure you're okay? Normally people aren't just fine when they lose a limb."

The small smile Mai had never faltered and she just shrugged before turning on her heel and walking back to the palace. Barely a moment passed before Zuko hissed and he clutched at his side, his face screwed with his pain.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded quickly and sucked in an unsteady breath while flashing her an uneasy smile. "Yeah, just a little sore."

Without giving him the chance to deny, she gloved her hand with more water and probed his side, where she found four separate broken ribs. She clicked her tongue at him and quickly fused them back together. She felt his sigh brush against her face and she looked up to see his face starting to relax in exhaustion.

"We need rest."

Zuko snorted and nodded, then let his head fall to her shoulder as she finished up healing him. Her own head fell forward, pressing against his collarbone, and she inhaled deeply. They stood together for what felt like ages, but were broken up when they heard someone else approach them.

Iroh stood solemnly, his golden eyes lidded with grief, and he tucked his hands into his sleeves as he said to Zuko, "There were no casualties within the palace, however some of your guards did parish in the plaza... There have been confirmed civilian deaths from the explosions and rebels taking them out. The most being nonbenders or the elderly."

Katara saw Zuko grit his teeth and clench his fists tightly. With a steeling breath, he replied, "As soon as it is available, I would like a list of all of the fallen. I shall mark a state funeral in their honor and visit their families myself."

"Very well," Iroh stated with an approving nod. "Anything else, Fire Lord?"

Zuko sighed and scrubbed at his face with both hands, smearing some of the soot and dirt that had accumulated their during their fights. "See about getting the executioners ring set up in the plaza. We are to burn these traitors when the sun sets."

Iroh seemed surprised at Zuko's swift action, but did not say a word. Instead he gave his nephew a proud smile and made his way to the palace steward, who was covered with soot from head to toe. Zuko followed his lead, making his way to the destroyed entrance of his home. Katara made to follow him, but her sight was caught by her father as he started heading towards her.

He was smiling at her, a comforting gesture, and when he reached her they silently wrapped their arms around each other in a strong hug. In his embrace, Katara finally began feeling the exhaustion from the day completely set in.

"Hush now, polar pup," he murmured into her hair. She hadn't even realized she had been crying. Quietly, Hakoda led her to the palace, guiding her when her feet stumbled or her body became unbalanced, until they reached the unscathed Water Tribe rooms that she had been staying before this second debacle.

She didn't even realize she had been laid into the bed or changed out of her bloodied clothes, not until she was already tucked under the blankets and her father started humming one of the old lullabies her mother had favored singing to her when she was young. Her grief was raw, but it was overshadowed by the sleep that was taking hold of her.

* * *

Zuko stood in his study, his eyes glued to the initial list of fallen souls from the attack. His heart ached and his mind spun. His mother was sitting in front of him with worried eyes and a solemn frown. But he could barely pay attention to her, only the names on the page stuck out to him.

One more glaringly heartbreaking than the others.

"Is there anything I can do for you, honey?"

He shook his head and chewed on his lip. "Not right now. But thank you."

"I can bring you some tea."

He lifted his head and gave her a wry smile. "No, thank you. Are you alright?"

Ursa nodded and readjusted her legs. "I'm fine. Luckily I was in the meeting room with Iroh when the bombs first went off. He tucked me into the bunker beneath the table and I stayed there until he came back for me."

Zuko mulled on her words before sighing and bringing his attention to the paper. He sat and sighed, eyes scanning the names for the nth time. For some reason, Hera's name was listed among the casualties, despite her being one of the rebels.

"I did want to apologize to you," Ursa began, gaining his attention again. "For Hera."

He sighed with disappointment and closed his eyes as he rubbed his temples. "This isn't really something I want to discuss, mother. Not now."

"But I did want to say something about it," Ursa urged, causing him to look at her again. "It was at my insistence that she accompanied you to Yu Dao, which caused some of the strife you all experienced. Her hand was the one that slayed Suki... I am afraid that my misjudgment put you in peril and I am deeply sorry."

Zuko's scowl grew, but he held his tongue.

"I haven't done a sound job to protect you, as a mother should," she murmured, her eyes going to her lap and her hands tangling together. "I feel like I should own up to the fact that I didn't listen to my children's judgement and keep her off of that airship."

She paused, then brought her eyes up to Zuko's as she gave him a small smile. "Azula was incredibly concerned for your well-being. She was very vocal in her disapproval of Hera, and since I learned that Azula was behind her imprisonment I figured that was why. I should have listened to you both, instead I undermined your authority because I thought neither of you were of a sound mind. And for that, I am sorry. It was horribly wrong of me, as a person and especially as a mother."

"How did you even find out about her?" Zuko couldn't stop himself from asking, his curiosity taking the front seat.

Ursa sighed and she fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. "I suppose it all started back when I received news of your kidnapping from Iroh. Ikem was perfectly fine with me coming to the capitol, so I rushed here as soon as I could. Your sister had already arrived and purposely holed herself in her room, so I was already feeling as if I was failing. After your uncle filled me in on the situation and of Shun's passing, I decided as your mother I should take the initiative to find you someone that could protect you until you got back on your feet.

"When you arrived back at the palace I saw the state you were in," she continued with an uneven inhale and a sad frown. "Never had I feared so much for your life, my love."

"Not even when Ozai was going to kill me to ensure his throne?"

Ursa scowled and Zuko saw her blink away a few tears. "What your father did... he has been a vile man since before you were born. His greed outshone his love, but the love was still there. As your mother, I knew he would never do it. I had no doubt in my mind he would have stayed his hand and figured out a different solution had I not intervened. He knew Azulon would not have let him ascend to the throne had he slayed his own child. The man was cruel but he was not heartless. It was Ozai's heartlessness that had made Azulon give the order, after all."

Zuko kept frowning at his mother, his frustration now simmering softly as he waited for her to continue with her story.

She took a deep breath and said, "When you came back here, I immediately started searching for someone that could act as your personal guard until you were capable of finding one on your own. Not many were willing to jump into the application process, mainly because Shun had been possibly the best person for that position. There were some, but they were unqualified or too closely associated with convicted war criminals. For a while I thought I wasn't going to be able to find anyone."

"Until Hera showed up."

Ursa sighed and she met his eyes, the regret and sadness truly evident in her imploring stare. "I remembered her from your childhood. She and Azula had been in a class together at the Academy and she seemed promising. Her interest came up in a scroll delivered to me the morning after the Avatar left. I met with her and discussed the parameters of the job, and also gauged on whether or not she would be capable of watching over you in your most vulnerable. Based on what she told me and what I judged, she seemed qualified enough to fill the position temporarily until you got on your feet again."

Zuko did not reply.

"I suppose had I looked a little deeper and found out what happened between her and Azula, I would have declined her admission into the palace," Ursa conceded after a terse silence. "Bridges burned cannot be crossed when there is still a raging river."

"We all had lapses in judgement the past few months," Zuko replied softly, his eyes drifting to the names on the scroll once more. He lingered on Suki's before he sighed and stood. "It's best we move on from this. There's too much damage to repair as of right now and we can't keep dwelling on what _could_ have happened."

Ursa rose from her seat, a watery smile making its way onto her lips, and she stated, "Spoken like a true king."

Zuko gave her a small quirk of his lips before he made his way towards the door. "My people need me to be strong. And right now that means showing a united front against the man responsible for this whole mess."

"Would you like me there when you give the order?"

He shook his head and let his mother leave his study before him, closing the door as he made his way into the hallway. They walked together through the palace, avoiding the random sections of destruction that had not been cleaned up yet. "I would prefer if you stayed here with the Kyoshi Warriors and Azula. We may have won today but you never know who may try to get the last word."

They paused at the throne room and Zuko was suddenly reminded of how tired he was. Ursa cupped his unblemished cheek and gave him a small smile. "It will be fine. But if you insist on me staying here, I suppose I can go give your friend a visit instead. He always likes the way I make tea."

Zuko's shoulders dropped and he let his gaze drift to the ground. "I don't think he's going to be up for tea any time soon."

* * *

The curtains were drawn and all of the torches were unlit, but Katara knew where to go. After she had woken from her short nap, she decided immediately to go to her brother next door. Right after the battle had ended, he was ushered inside to lay down. He had clearly been going through shock and was completely incapable of stopping Hakoda and Bato from taking him inside.

When she closed the door behind her, all light from the hallway vanishing completely, the room was doused in darkness and she was left to blindly make her way over to the bed where she knew he laid. Her hand found the mattress easily enough, and she was unsurprised to find him laying on his side on top of the blankets, right on the edge of the bed closest to the door.

She sat down next to his hip and felt for his shoulder, and when she found it she started rubbing it soothingly and she reached up to push his unbound hair back. Her eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness and she could see him staring straight forward, not acknowledging her.

"Sokka?"

Not even a flinch.

"Would you like to go wash up? Zuko's made sure to stock our wash rooms with the soap you liked from Ember Island. You know, the fruity kind that made your skin feel really soft?"

Still quiet.

"How about some tea? There's a blend in the sitting room that tastes great with ice. I can make that up for you."

Her heart ached at his silence, reminding her how much he had already lost to this world. Two loves and an empty heart. He deserved so much more than this. She wondered how the Kyoshi Warriors were doing, where they were and what they were doing with Suki's body. Perhaps she could bring him down to see her one last time, just to say good-bye. He didn't really get the chance before their father arrived and pulled him away from her.

She pushed his hair back again and grimaced when something flaky came out with her fingers. Immediately, she pulled some water out of the pitcher next to his bed and ran in through his hair, cleaning out whatever gunk had made its way in there since their arrival in Yu Dao. When she was done, she discarded the water in the plant by the window and pulled the last of the water out of the pitcher to work on his face and arms. She let the water lick at his skin, swiping away all of the grime. She could feel it dirtying the water and felt that this wouldn't be enough for him.

But at least it was something.

When all of the water was too dirty to use, she cast it away and stood, then pulled the blankets up from under his feet and tugged them over his shoulders. After a quick kiss on his forehead, Katara sat back down and started humming the same lullaby Hakoda had sung to her that morning.

There was a knock on the door around the time she was certain she lulled Sokka to sleep. She stood as quietly as she could, then tip toed all the way to the door and opened it slightly. Her father gazed at her, unsurprised by her appearance in her brother's room.

"They are about to start the execution. Do you want to go?"

Katara gave a fleeting glance to her brother's silent form then moved out into the hallway. She nodded once, then shut the door. "Is Zuko already there?"

"He's waiting for us in the throne room," Hakoda supplied as he started making his way down the hall. Katara's eyes drifted to the opposite hallway, where the Northern Water Tribe rooms had once been. Now the walls were collapsed and the hall blocked off, a grim reminder of the past day. She sighed and followed her father, her footsteps echoing in the empty halls. She looked to his profile and saw the distress in his face. She knew Sokka had been grieving his lover, so it was no surprise his father would be grieving for him, as well.

They all lost a dear friend today. And Takeshi and the Xi Lang were going to pay for it.

By the time they reached the throne room, Katara already felt exhausted. She just wanted to go curl up in her bed and sleep for the next six days, mostly to forget the damage that had been done. But she knew things would never be that simple. The sun rose, the moon changed, people died. The fact that she had already lost so many people in this life made her heart ache and feel more numb at the same time.

The curtains were pushed back and Katara was greeted with the sight of her friends sitting near Zuko's dais. Aang was sitting lotus style, his staff discarded behind him while Toph leaned against his shoulder and seemed to doze. Zuko was sitting up on the dais, his feet dangling down as he spoke to Iroh. Surprisingly, Azula was not there. Katara figured she may have been requested to sit this out, probably because the people of the Fire Nation were not entirely comfortable with the former Crown Princess coming back into Zuko's good graces. She hoped soon they would warm up to her again. All of the people in the throne room had.

Mai was also absent, likely in the makeshift hospital wing to fix up her arm. Ty Lee was as well, but Katara figured she was with the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors as they mourned the loss of their leader.

Her chest seized at the reminder.

As Hakoda and Katara approached the dais, Zuko's head lifted and he met her gaze. He did not smile, but she didn't expect him to. Not right now. She couldn't even manage one either so she figured it would be just as hard for him.

"Are you ready?"

"As much as we will ever be," Hakoda said grimly.

Without another word, Zuko jumped down from the dais and made his way past them to the door. Everyone silently followed him, moving through the curtain and walking towards the tunnel that would take them to the plaza where he had his coronation and his Agni Kai with Azula. The tension was thick as they walked, not one word being uttered by anyone in the entire party. Hakoda stayed close to her, holding her hand in the crook of his arm. They were the last ones in the entourage, lagging behind Aang and Toph.

"You know, we don't have to watch this."

Katara swallowed and looked ahead to Zuko, whose shoulders were tight under his ripped tunic. He still hadn't changed since the battle that morning.

Too much to take care of, she guessed.

"No," she said softly. "I need to be there for Suki."

Hakoda nodded and leaned over to kiss her softly on the top of her head. When they reached the building and climbed the stairs, they were quickly greeted by the curtains that led them outside, Zuko stilled and turned on his heels to face his friends, his face tight and eyes downcast.

"I just want to let you know you can leave at any time," he started, his eyes averted. "You don't have to sit and watch as it all happens."

When no one spoke up, he nodded tersely as he spun on his heels and pushed past the curtains. There was a loud cheer as he made his way outside and when Katara walked through the threshold, she saw the majority of the plaza and part of the stands were filled with citizens. Their yells were unintelligible, but she could sense the anger as they shouted up to their king.

She made her way to his side and got a better look down below. Smack dab in the middle of the crowd was a wooden circular platform, slightly raised up above on stones and logs of more wood. The crowd was separated from it by a taller ring that surrounded the platform like a bullseye. Imperial Firebenders were stationed on top of the ring, facing inward towards the little stage.

After a long moment, Zuko raised his hand to silence the people. His face was hard as he stared out at them, sharing in their anguish at the destruction of their home.

"Justice will be served," he started, his voice carrying out over the crowd with clear conviction. "The people responsible for the chaos that ensued here shall pay."

An answering cheer boomed back at him.

"Any member associated with the group of people who carried out these acts of terrorism shall be deemed enemies of the state," Zuko declared, his anger evident in the low rumble of his voice. "As Fire Lord I give permission to execute the ones responsible for the deaths and destruction that occurred from their attacks. Agni smites those who kill the innocent."

Another loud cheer erupted within the crowd.

"Bring out the guilty."

The cheers grew louder as the crowd parted by the work of more Imperial Firebenders. Zuko strode down the stairs, away from the rest of the group, and made his way to the small balcony that hung over the platform. Katara could see a group of prisoners being led through the parted crowd, led by a limping Takeshi. Her heart raced in her chest with her fury and she had a half a mind to rip his from his chest, but she was immediately calmed by a squeeze of Hakoda's hand.

There were at least sixty people chained together, filing onto the platform in their torn and dirtied robes, their masks removed. Katara thankfully couldn't recognize anyone from their place on the balcony, aside from Takeshi. He was standing in the middle of the group, staring straight at Zuko with a defiant look on his disfigured face.

Zuko thrust his left fist into the sky, letting out a burst of bright flames. The Imperial Firebenders surrounding the platform did the same, their flames cresting up and dissipating before they all sank down into a kata. Zuko moved first, the same hand winding back as he lowered as well, then he thrust his palm forward and let out a large blast towards the platform.

Katara's heart shot into her throat and her eyes bulged open as the wood caught on fire. The Imperial Firebenders followed suit, their own flames engulfing the wood and scorching some of the rebels in the process. Their screams of terror started to fill the air, mixing with the crackling of the wood and the cheers from the crowd.

Her stomach churned when the first of the rebels was completely burned, their screeches grating to her ears and more so to her nerves. In that moment she noticed Aang had dismissed himself back to the palace, likely unable to witness the horror of this execution.

She tried to keep a straight face, but the sounds of the screams and cheers warbled in her ears, making her dizzy. Her eyes went to the straight line of Zuko's back, where his shoulders were still tight and his fists were clenched with righteous fury. There was a tug on her heart when she noticed his hands were shaking - with anger or distress, she did not know - but she knew it was best not to go comfort him. He needed to appear strong for his people in the face of their enemy.

And that face was staring him down.

Katara noticed Takeshi had not moved from his perch in the center of the platform. His eyes were pinned on the Fire Lord despite the chaos that was ensuing around him. Katara figured he would feel well at home, since that was what he wanted all along. Maybe not in this sense, but it was deserved enough. He didn't even flinch when his robes caught on fire and his followers started dropping like flies in front of him.

His stare was still on Zuko, hard and unwavering even in the face of death.

A chill ran up her spine and the disgust was starting to become too much, so she tugged on Hakoda's arm and motioned to go back inside. Her father did not even hesitate to nod and lead her towards the curtain and out of earshot of the screams and cheers. His quick reaction made her grateful, but she would never forget the sight and growing smell of burning flesh.

Katara swallowed down her disgust but clutched onto her father a little tighter. There had been executions in the Southern Water Tribe, the last one she remembered being right before the raid that killed her mother. A man was accused of raping and killing a teen aged girl, the most damning evidence being the claw marks on his face that were too thin to have been from a polar bear dog like he had claimed, and the blood under her snapped fingernails. Her father had deemed him guilty and he was stripped of his clothes and tied to the Wendigo Pole, left in the cold to suffer his punishment.

The next morning his body was frozen in the place they had left him, ice coating his bare arms and his face frozen forever in twisted agony. She never forgot the way her father looked when they removed the body from the pole and wrapped it in the funeral furs. It was not a look of pride or satisfaction. It was a look of shame, of disgust in one's self.

It was the same look she caught on Zuko's face when he turned away as Takeshi was finally swallowed up in the blaze.

* * *

She found Aang sitting in the windowsill of the library, his foot dangling down as he watched the moon rise over the lip of the caldera. She noticed a melancholy look on his face and the overall aura of exhaustion surrounding him. She approached him silently, uncertain of what exactly she should say. To be honest, she was still reeling from the battles that took place the past few days and her mind was a mess.

But she had to say something to him.

"Aang?"

His head turned towards her and a soft surprised smile lit up his face. "Hey, Katara."

She approached him completely now, hands fiddling with themselves in front of her stomach. "How are you feeling?"

Aang's hand immediately went to his stomach and his fingers dragged against the fresh bandages there. "Much better, actually. If you hadn't showed up when you did, I'd be dead for sure."

She felt herself grin and she couldn't help but reply, "I don't think the Avatar would go down that easily."

He merely shrugged before looking back out to the sky. Katara followed his gaze and marveled at how bright the moon was. It was almost as if another sun had graced the sky. The entire city was lit up, the rubble of broken homes highlighted by the deep shadows and pale glow.

"Do you ever wonder if she can see us?"

"Hmm?"

Aang turned to her entirely, that same sad smile on his face, and he clarified, "Yue. Do you think she can see us right now?"

Katara's eyes moved to the moon and she felt herself frown, that same sensation of sadness for her brother washing over her. "Maybe. Perhaps she knows of Sokka's loss and felt the need to comfort him tonight."

"How is he doing?"

Her chest felt tight and her eyes dropped to the ground. "Not so good. I tried to help him a little before the execution but he wouldn't budge. I went back afterwards but he was still asleep. He's going to need more time than he did with Yue."

"It's not fair."

Her eyes rose and met his.

"He's lost two loves now. Why does he have to suffer so much for the greater good?"

Katara sighed and joined him on the windowsill, the ease of being near him coming back despite the awkwardness she was feeling before. "My mother used to tell me that the Spirits would test us with trials. Make us suffer because it would make us stronger. There is always a plan, even if we don't know it."

Their eyes met and Aang frowned. "How can you be so sure of that?"

She simply shrugged and moved her attention back to the moon. "I'm not. I don't know why things happen the way they do. No one does. That takes the magic out of life. We aren't meant to know when things happen or why they did. There's always a purpose to everything."

Aang chuckled and he lightly kicked her foot with his. "That was awfully wise of you."

She grinned in return. "I have my moments."

A comfortable silence stretched between them, the easiest one between them since before Zuko was kidnapped. After a few moments, Katara felt Aang's hand on her shoulder and she turned to see him looking at her with curious concern.

"Are we... are we, you know, okay?"

She couldn't stop the smile that spread on her lips and she stood. As she wrapped her arms around his shoulder in a soft hug, she replied in his ear, "Of course we are. We'll always be friends."

Aang sniffed and tightened his arms around her before letting go, his hands lingering at her sides for a split second before dropping back into his lap. "I do like being your friend... Your friendship is more important to me than thinking we're in love."

Katara's heart sank and she felt the sadness come off of him in waves. "Aang..."

He raised his hand to stop her from apologizing, likely knowing she was going to, then he added, "Katara, I love you. And I will always love you like you would your first love... But I've had some time to think and I understand why you had felt pressured to put on this farce for me. It wasn't fair to you. I know where your heart lies, and as much as it pains me, I know he will make you happy."

Her eyes widened and he took that time to take her hand and grip it tight. "I see the way he looks at you and the way you look at him. I know you denied it before when we were together, but I think you didn't know it then. He cares so much about you and was willing to put his feelings to the side to make sure you were happy. It's about time you both got what you wanted in life."

Katara would have commented on the matter more, but the door to the library opened and a servant shuffled their way in towards them. Aang stood, expecting a request, but the servant turned his attention to Katara and bowed at the waist.

"Fire Lord Zuko requests your presence in his study, Master Katara."

Her heart did a little jump in her chest and she quickly nodded and made to follow the servant. When she met Aang's eyes, he gave her a final encouraging nod and adopted that melancholy grin once more as he sat back down on the windowsill, his eyes lingering on her once more before going back to the moon. She bit her lip and turned to the servant, who ushered her out of the room with a brisk pace.

The servant took her on a path she had never gone before, likely to avoid the destroyed sections of the palace near Zuko's study. She knew his office had been in the wing that was destroyed, as well as his bedroom. Right now he had nowhere else that was his own except his study.

Her heart ached for him.

The door opened and the servant stepped to the side, letting her pass him without another word. Once she was inside, the door was closed and she was left alone with Zuko for the first time since they were stranded in the woods.

He was standing by the window, cloaked in silvery moonlight, his face downturned as his eyes scanned the scroll in his hands. Like before, he was still dressed in the tunic and pants he wore during their battles, seemingly unconcerned with how dirty he was and how torn up he looked. The only difference now was his hair was pulled back into a tight topknot instead of the low phoenix tail he had been sporting when they first left the Fire Nation.

His crown was still notably absent.

"You... wanted to see me?"

Zuko's head snapped up and his wide eyes met hers. "Oh, uh... yeah." He cleared his throat and rolled the scroll back up before straightening his posture and facing her entirely. "Yes, I did. How are you?"

Katara nearly laughed at the politeness in his tone, but instead she merely shrugged and tucked her hands behind her back. "As good as I can be, considering the circumstances. A lot has happened in the past few days and I'm a little tired."

There was a hint of an affectionate smile on his lips as he said, "I know how you feel. I'm glad you're alright, though."

She smiled and her thumbs fiddled with each other as she asked, "And you? How are you doing?"

Zuko sighed and he scrubbed his face with the heels of his hands. "I could be better. There's a lot of bureaucratic stuff that needs to be taken care of and I feel like I haven't been able to breathe."

"You're allowed to take a break, Zuko," she told him as she stepped closer to his desk. His eyes met hers, glowing golden in the contrasting moonlight, and she did her best to give him a smile. "The past few days have been particularly trying. It probably would be best for your well-being to go to bed and come back with a fresh mind in the morning."

A sour look passed his face and he slumped against the wall. "Unfortunately I don't have a bed now, either."

She snorted and made her way to him. "There are at least fifty beds in this place. Surely you can find one to nap in."

He let out a breath chuckle and let his head fall back with a soft thump. "With all of the people staying here right now, I doubt that. At least a third of the rooms were in the southern wing, including mine on the top floor."

"Of course this happens after you changed rooms again," she snickered, earning her a hard glare and pout. "Oh, come on. You know you have the worst luck when it comes to your bedrooms."

His shoulders dropped and he replied, "Yes, I know. Is your room alright? I forgot to ask you."

She nodded. "No damage to the Southern Water Tribe hallway. Though I can't say the same for the Northern Water Tribe. You'll have to let Chief Arnook know his precious water bed probably popped."

Zuko's horrified look was accompanied with a dreadful groan. "I don't think this day can get any worse."

"You want to talk about it?"

He chewed on his lip for a moment before pushing off the wall and making his way to his desk. He handed her the scroll he had just been looking at and then unfurled a second one that was right next to it. As she opened up the scroll and her eyes scanned the numerous names, he stated, "I have ordered a state funeral for those who died in the attack. But first I will be visiting the homes of their families, if there is any left, and extend a grieving hand. It's the most I can do under these circumstances. That being said..."

Katara looked up and he had been staring out the window.

"After the state funeral, I am going to accompany the Kyoshi Warriors back to their home island to lay Suki to rest. After all she sacrificed, I owe her that much. She saved my life by giving hers... I have to honor her memory by being with her when she is sent off to the Spirit World."

"That's very considerate of you, Zuko," she murmured as she laid her hand on his arm. He didn't move to look at her. "Your people will see how empathetic you are. It's a good move forward."

"I'm not doing to gain the favor of my people," he spat softly, the disgust in his voice clearly not aimed at her. "Many of my people died because a group of people wanted me dead. But _they_ paid the price. _Suki_ paid the price. And now my home is destroyed and my people are displaced. All because there are still people out there who don't want me on the throne."

"Zuko, you can't blame yourself for what happened."

His eyes met hers, hard and gleaming gold, and he frowned. "How can I not? She was protecting me. She shouldn't have had to lay down her life to make sure I lived. It wasn't fair to her to immediately jump in front of that sword just because I am apparently more important. I'm not. She had so much to live for, and now she's gone. Look at Sokka! He's lost another girlfriend to this stupid world! I live, and he suffers for it."

Katara felt her eyes burn and she took a step in front of him. "You can't blame yourself for Suki's actions. She made a choice, knowing what would happen if you died. She knew how much the world would suffer if you were gone. To her, you were more important."

"I shouldn't be."

"You're the damn Fire Lord, Zuko," Katara snapped as she crossed her arms. A tear fell down her cheek. "You want to know something? I'm upset about her dying, too. My brother is in his room practically comatose because he's in shock of watching yet another girlfriend die right in front of him. Do you think he blames you? Do you think _I_ blame you for this? Suki made the choice and she seemed pretty content with it until her last breath. So stop playing the Zuko Card and accept the fact that she did it to protect you and to ensure the world remained at peace."

His eyebrow quirked up, betraying the otherwise angry and hurt look on his face, and he asked, "'The Zuko Card?'"

Katara wiped away the tears that fell down her cheeks and huffed, "The Zuko Card is when you act like you're so horrible and you deserve the bad things that happen to you as some sort of repentance for all of the wrong doings that you, your family, and your Nation committed. You don't deserve bad things to happen to you. You deserve to live."

His face dropped and he looked down to the floor. "So did Suki."

Katara's heart sank and she grabbed his hand. "Yes, she did. But you can't blame yourself for her dying. You didn't kill her. Hera did."

A tear fell out of his eye and Katara quickly wiped it away. When he didn't say anything more, she pulled him into a hug, holding him close as he dropped his head to her shoulder and wrapped his arms tightly around her middle. She felt the wetness of his tears through the shoulder of her dress, and unabashedly she let her own tears fall. Her eyes drifted out the window, catching sight of the moon as it glowed in the sky. As Zuko held her a little tighter, she vaguely noticed a bright star flickering in the sky next to it.

* * *

 _tbc._


	11. Farewell

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender._

 _ **A/N** This chapter does some time jumps because truthfully nothing substantial happens at all times._

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Farewell**

* * *

The trip to Kyoshi Island was done in almost complete silence, the only sounds being the orders of the crew cutting through the crisp air and the waves crashing against the hull of the ship. From his perch on the bow, Zuko wore a heavier cloak over his traveling clothes, his hair tied back in a wolf tail, courtesy of Katara. His gaze was pensive and angry as he stared out at the Eastern Horizon. For all his worth, Zuko felt completely useless at the moment.

"Fire Lord Zuko?"

He glanced over his shoulder to see Hakoda standing behind him, forgoing his typical parka and opting for a lighter jacket and gloves. His arms were folded over his chest, as if he, too, was deep in thought.

"Hello, Chief Hakoda."

"I hope I'm not interrupting your brooding session," Hakoda quipped lightly as he reached Zuko's side.

Zuko scowled and returned his gaze to the sea beyond. "I wasn't _brooding._ I was... thinking deeply... about things that have saddened me."

Hakoda chuckled and patted Zuko on the shoulder. "So, brooding. Someone your age shouldn't be fretting so much. Leave that to the older guys."

"It's hard not to when you're the leader of a country," Zuko mused, eyes not leaving the horizon.

"That is very true..." Hakoda cleared his throat and removed his hand from Zuko's shoulder. "Listen, Katara told me what's going on. You feel responsible about what happened to Suki."

Zuko dropped his chin and squeezed his eyes shut.

"There's no reason to feel like you need to carry the blame of her death," Hakoda remarked, his voice uncharacteristically thick. "She chose to leave Kyoshi Island to protect you. Her duty was to make sure you lived. After the incident with your kidnapping, I was told she was so ridden with guilt for letting it happen. Do you blame her for letting you get kidnapped?"

Zuko lifted his gaze to meet Hakoda's and he shook his head.

Hakoda smiled sadly. "She wouldn't want you to blame yourself for her dying, either. She was strong, all the way until the end. Feeling guilt for her death will only hurt you. Especially if it's not your fault in the first place."

"How am I not supposed to feel guilt?" Zuko asked in a small voice. "She was my friend, and my best friend's girlfriend. I was in charge of her, she and the other Kyoshi Warriors were my responsibility. What can I do to not feel as if I am the reason she died?"

"Zuko, unless you were the one wielding the sword that struck her -" Zuko flinched, yet Hakoda continued on in his strong voice, " - then you hold no responsibility in her death. She chose to be where she was. Nothing was of your doing."

As the two leaders looked each other in the eye, Zuko felt a strange and heavy ache in his chest. Hakoda was right, and Zuko knew that. He shouldn't blame himself for Suki's death, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't shake the pain of losing his friend and feeling as if he could have done something to prevent it.

Hakoda's eyes crinkled at the edges with a genuine smile as he clapped Zuko on the shoulder again. "I believe you did everything you could in your position. Now, there's something of different importance I would like to speak to you about, if that's alright."

Zuko blinked before nodding quietly, confusion making itself evident on his face.

"My daughter."

Make that embarrassment.

Zuko cleared his throat and averted his eyes once more. "What about her?"

"I know about you two."

Zuko promptly choked on his spit. As he started hacking up a lung, Hakoda thumped him square on the back and waited patiently for Zuko to calm down. Once he gathered himself as best as he could, he turned and stared at Hakoda with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

Hakoda chuckled and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Don't think I can't see you two looking at each other... You love her, don't you?"

Feeling the uselessness in a lie, Zuko nodded.

Another deep chuckle rumbled in Hakoda's chest and he stared out towards the water. "I'm going to tell you a story: I met Katara's and Sokka's mother when I was seven. She was only four and had thrown a snowball at me because I accidentally destroyed the snowman she had just built. My friends laughed at the whole ordeal, and I did too, but she still caught my eye. Honestly, Kya was as feisty then as she was when we grew older. Falling in love with her was as easy as falling asleep."

He took a deep breath and his gaze dropped to where the ship cut through the waves. "Not a day goes by that I don't miss her, even after all this time. She was the love of my life, and I loved every single thing about her. She was never a stickler for traditions, even to the point that she refused a necklace when I asked her to marry me. In fact, the one she wore until the day she died was my mother's, the same one Katara has worn since."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Hakoda met Zuko's gaze and he smiled. "Katara reminds me of her so much that sometimes it hurts to look at her, knowing that Kya is gone... And because I see so much of Kya in Katara, and I know what kind of person my daughter is. She won't want anything fancy to show that you love her."

Zuko felt his cheeks heat and he looked away.

"If there's something you want to say, now's the time to say it."

"I..." Zuko swallowed thickly and straightened up. "You're right, I do love Katara. And I want to be with her. But not without your permission first, of course."

Hakoda chuckled again and shook his head. "See, Zuko, I'm not a stickler for traditions either. Katara is her own woman and can make her own decisions. I appreciate the thought, but it's not my decision whether or not my daughter dates you. Aang never asked, but it was kind of assumed they would get together so I didn't really care."

Zuko scowled and bit his tongue.

"However," Hakoda added with a lowered voice, "I hope you know with a relationship like yours, there will be a lot of controversy. A lot of people won't like it. Heck, even I will have a hard time coming to terms with the fact that my daughter is in a relationship with a firebender, let alone the Fire Lord." A fond look crossed over Hakoda's face and he squeezed Zuko's shoulder. "But this firebending Fire Lord saved my life, my son's life, my daughter's life, and the whole world with the Avatar. And I couldn't be more thankful for someone like that to care about her the way you do."

Zuko's heart flipped in his chest and he met Hakoda's gaze with a small smile. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."

Without replying, Hakoda nodded and turned on his heel to return to the inside of the ship, leaving Zuko alone once more with his _brooding_ thoughts. Zuko's smile grew wry and he snorted when he returned his gaze to the horizon.

Well, maybe not so brooding anymore.

* * *

The ambiance of Kyoshi Village was somber, the air so thick with sorrow that it practically choked Katara as she walked up the path leading to the temple and graveyard on the mountain. A fog had settled over the forest, blending with the bitter coldness of the winter winds blowing from the south, and Katara felt it had perfectly reflected the pain the villagers were feeling.

As for funerals went, Katara had been to enough. When the people of her tribe started dying off and their population was dwindling, there were funerals at least once every few weeks. There were even times when multiple people had been laid to rest at the same time due to the onset of winter or the closeness of their deaths. The first funeral she even remembered going to was her mother's.

A warm presence at her side shook her of her stupor, and she turned to see Zuko gazing down at her with a concerned look in his glowing eyes. While everyone else was wearing black in their mourning, he was dressed in the mourning white of his country, plus a black cape over his mantle to show his condolences for the people of Kyoshi. His crown was still absent, instead his hair was still in the wolf tail she had pulled it into the night before.

Silently, he took her hand, as if to ask if she was okay and that he was right there with her. She smiled, not quite reaching her eyes, and she nodded before turning her attention to the procession in front of her. The Kyoshi Warriors were performing the Rite of Passage for their fallen leader, their graceful moves almost a dance as Suki's casket finally reached it's burial site.

"It is with a sad heart that I stand here on this solemn day," Chief Oyaji stated over the small crowd. His eyes roamed over his people, stalling on a few faces, and he dropped his head with closed eyes. "Suki was an impeccable warrior and leader, the best Kyoshi had seen in ages, one that will be remembered for all time."

A sniffle to her right, and a whimper behind her, yet Katara kept herself strong despite the tightness in her throat and the burning in her eyes.

Oyaji murmured a prayer as the Kyoshi Warriors began a sacred dance, scattering dirt of the island over Suki's casket and into the air as a celebration of Suki's life. Right in front of Katara was Sokka, head bowed and shoulders high near his ears. Despite his strength, she knew he was breaking. The tautness of his back and the shaking of his clenched fists told her that much.

"By the Grace and Protection of Avatar Kyoshi, we send our Warrior to her side in the Spirit World."

A hum of prayer vibrated through all of the villagers, bidding their final farewells to Suki as the rest of the dirt was pushed on top of her casket. Punctuating the sadness, rain started to drop from the heavy sky, hitting the ground with such resounding finality it rang in her ears. Despite the noise, silence filled the clearing, gripping her heart in anguish as the villagers silently made their way back down the mountain and to their homes, where they would mourn in solitude after feasting in the Town Hall. Only a few souls stayed behind, all clad in the different clothes of each nation, each showing their respect to their fallen friend.

On his knees in front of her small gravestone, was the boy she left behind.

Katara left Zuko's side, squeezing his hand softly, then made her way over to her brother. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him walk over to Aang and Toph, murmur something to them, then lead him over to Hakoda and start walking down the mountain path with the rest of the villagers, leaving the two Water Tribe siblings alone with the dead.

She watched the cold rain start to fall harder, as if the spirits themselves were crying, and spatter on their skin. Sokka was undeterred, his gaze far off and his own tears blending in with the rain. In silent support, Katara stayed by his side, kneeling with him in the freshly pounded dirt, holding his shaking hand as he wept quietly.

With her free hand, Katara began bending the rain away, but Sokka quickly shook his head and reached over to stop her.

"Please," he croaked, not taking his eyes off of her gravestone. "Don't."

Katara nodded and lowered her hand, settling with squeezing his a little tighter and laying her head on his shoulder. It was all she could really do.

* * *

"Once again, I'd like to extend my sincerest condolences to you and your people, Chief Oyaji. I can never say it enough."

Oyaji grinned and waved his hand dismissively. "You need not to repeat yourself, Fire Lord Zuko. You have done so much for our people, and the Warriors are loyal to you. Suki would hate for you to feel responsible for this outcome."

Zuko frowned and dropped his gaze to the puddle forming on the steps in front of the portico. "I wish there was more I could do."

"Suki made the final choice to take the Kyoshi Warriors to the Fire Nation to protect you," Oyaji replied, causing Zuko to lift his head once more and meet his warm stare. "She decided that being by your side was where they needed to be, and for good reason. You are changing the world, Fire Lord. There are many people who would like to see you dead, and Suki felt that protecting you would protect the best interests of peace and bringing the nations to a new prosperous era. Do not feel that you failed her, she was doing her duty to you as your protector and friend."

Zuko smiled, albeit sadly. "Thank you."

"I think what's best to do now is mourn properly," Oyaji remarked as he looked out at the villagers in the town square. "Tomorrow, we shall choose a new leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, and she will make the decisions from now on."

Zuko followed Oyaji's gaze and saw the Warriors kneeling by Avatar Kyoshi's statue, as still as their protector against the falling rain. The towering totem stood watch over the village, and in a distant memory he recalled it being on fire. His fault, of course. It seemed all of the strife riddled in this village was his doing in some shape or form.

"If you are going to apologize again, I'd recommend you hold your tongue."

Zuko blinked and turned to the village leader. "What?"

Oyaji smiled and glanced at Zuko from the corner of his eye. "There are more important things to use your energy on than to ask for forgiveness for every single wrongdoing you have done. If I'm not mistaken, it might take you all day with your list of transgressions."

Zuko bowed his head in shame and clenched his fists.

"However, today is not a day of sadness. We are here to celebrate the life of Suki of Kyoshi."

Without letting Zuko reply, Oyaji joined the villagers in the square and gestured towards the Town Hall, where the feast in Suki's honor was starting. As the villagers filed away and inside, Zuko noticed Aang was standing against one of the pillars of the portico, still looking up at the statue with a thoughtful look on his face.

"You'll catch your death out there."

The Avatar jolted and turned towards Zuko, then grinned sheepishly as he floated over to Zuko on his air scooter. "Sorry, Zuko. I was lost in thought."

"I could tell."

"Do you think Sokka will be okay?"

Zuko turned his attention to the mountain path, where the Water Tribe siblings had yet to come down. He sighed and crossed his arms as he leaned against the pillar of the portico. "He may in time. For now, we have to let him grieve the best we can."

"He did pretty well when Yue died," Aang mentioned, his voice quiet and morose. "We all knew she died for the greater good, a sacrifice that needed to be made. But with Suki, I'm afraid he's going to blame himself for not protecting her, too. He loved her so much, and now she's gone."

Zuko sighed again, this time with steam heating the air around them, and he rubbed his right eye with the heel of his hand. "There's no way of knowing what we can do for him. For now, we can only just be by his side."

Aang started fiddling with the rain that was falling, letting it weave around his fingers and loop in the air, gathering more water droplets and growing to a wider circle. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Suki was your charge," Aang remarked, his eyes red and glistening with the tears he already shed. "She was our friend. How are you doing?"

Zuko shrugged and picked at a loose thread on his cape. "I could be doing better, but I've had plenty of people tell me not to blame myself for her death. I'm starting to accept that."

"And what about Hera? Do you feel guilt for her death, too?"

Zuko's somber mood quickly turned sour and he scowled, anger burning his heart and flaring in his veins. "She was a traitor to the crown and her hand slayed Suki. Her death was justice."

"Death does not equal justice, Zuko."

The Fire Lord turned and glared at his friend. "That mentality kept the most dangerous man in the world from dying a proper death. Ozai being alive is one of the reasons why all of this happened, Aang. You can't lecture me on feeling liberation at the thought of my captors being dead when it's your fault this all happened. You're the Avatar, start acting like it."

Zuko turned on his heel and stomped into the rain, crossing the road to the inn where they were staying. He stepped inside and shucked off his cape, then stomped his way up the stairs to his room and locked the door behind him. He didn't hear Aang object to his leaving, but he didn't care. He was so angry at everything, so guilty and shameful and _mad._ He should be happy the whole situation was over. But he couldn't be. Not when his friend was dead and his sanity had been broken.

The sound of the door downstairs opening caused Zuko to turn towards his own, waiting for someone to knock or ask for his presence. But the sounds of stuttered footsteps coming up the stairs caused him to go back to his door, swing it open, and see Sokka and Katara heading up towards their rooms, unsurprisingly dry. Sokka had a sorrowful look on his down-turned face, while Katara watched her brother with keen eyes as he reached the top of the stairs and turned to his room. As soon as he let himself in, it was shut quietly behind him and the distinct sound of the lock turning echoed through the hall.

Zuko then turned to Katara, who was staring at the now-closed door with a watery frown. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, but she did not turn to face him. Instead, she raised her gloved hand and clasped it over his, silently acknowledging him. Zuko stepped towards her, gently turned her around to face him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, letting her bury her head against his chest as they mourned in silence.

* * *

"Excuse me, Fire Lord Zuko?"

Katara turned around with Zuko, eyes searching for the owner of the voice in the small crowd of people that were seeing them off. Zuko noticed immediately and he faced her completely with a sympathetic look on his face.

"Nozomi," he greeted with a small bow. "I see the Kyoshi Warriors have elected a well-suited new leader. I offer my sincerest congratulations."

Katara then noticed the girl he was speaking to, as she stepped forward and bowed to him, as well. Supporting his statement, this Nozomi was wearing her full Kyoshi garb, and the glittering gold headpiece in her sleek black hair was symbolizing her new position as leader of the Kyoshi Warriors.

"I will do my best to make them proud," Nozomi replied, her soft voice still carrying over the chattering crowd behind her. "I was hoping to speak with you privately, if you have a moment."

Zuko appeared to be surprised, but he nodded silently and followed her as she led him to the patio of a nearby home. Katara watched as he titled his head down to listen - Nozomi was quite short compared to him - and nod as he said something back to her, concern etched in his face as he met her eyes. She had grinned then bowed at the waist before they walked together back to Katara. The Kyoshi leader bowed to them both before heading up the hill to their training hall, where a smaller group of the warriors were waiting for her.

"What was that about?"

The corner of Zuko's lip curled up and he replied softly, "Nozomi is requesting that the Kyoshi Warriors remain in my service."

That was unexpected. "Really? After all of this?"

Zuko turned around and started heading down the path to his ship, shoulders no longer sagging with the weight of the past few months, and he said, "Nozomi said that the warriors enjoyed their positions in the Fire Nation, plus the opportunities that they have been given under my command have been increased considerably. Before my kidnapping, Suki was considering expanding their ranks by including women from all of the nations, especially in the colonies. Nozomi said some of the senior warriors are volunteering to move to the colonies in order to do that, in her honor."

"That's amazing," Katara let out in a soft breath.

Zuko grinned down at her and took her bag as they reached the pier. She smiled back at him and strode ahead, feeling his presence at her back as they ascended onto the small boat that would take them to the cruiser in the harbor. Awaiting them on the deck was her father and Aang, both solemn in the face as they stared out towards the sea.

"Are we ready to cast off?" she asked as she reached their sides.

Hakoda turned to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close to his chest, and he sighed, "We are still waiting on Sokka and Toph. They went to Suki's grave one last time and were supposed to be back about the same time as you..."

* * *

Toph watched him, her sightless gaze pinned to his back as he knelt in the dirt. They had been in the same place for over two hours. Not once did he move. His soft murmurs were lost to the wind, drifting away before Toph could catch what he was saying. She figured he was speaking to Suki, declaring his sadness and anger over her death. Maybe he was telling her how much he missed her, how much he loved her.

Toph hated that part.

Sokka had been speaking a little more than he had been before. Apparently the first word he spoke since Suki finally died in his arms was to Katara when she tried to shield him from the rain during the funeral. He still hadn't said much since then.

But now, his words were flowing out with a sort of desperation, the type of speech that made people wonder if the speaker was crazy. Maybe he was. After all, this wasn't the first girlfriend to die in his arms and under his protection, yet they had.

How come he couldn't protect them like he did for _her_ during the Comet?

Toph clenched her teeth together and shot that thought away before it could truly manifest. No need to daydream, not now. Not when he was broken and aching and she could quite literally feel his agony through the beats of his heart.

She hated having this connection to the earth. She could feel _everything_. And when he was in pain, she felt it, too. How could she not? After hearing his mournful cries and desperate screams, she couldn't help but feel for him. Someone they all cared about died, and the abundance of pain that day still reverberated through her now. Suki was gone, and Toph feared the hole left by her would never be filled.

At least, not by her.

Faintly, she could feel the commotion of the town at the bottom of the mountain. She sensed movement from the inn where they had been staying and she figured based on the smells and the sounds of the animals around them, it was nearing mid-morning and they would be departing from the port soon.

They would have to say good-bye to Suki one last time.

"Sokka?"

She felt him shift and give a minute glance over his shoulder. When he didn't speak, she took a deep breath and approached him.

"It's almost time we go back to the village. We're supposed to leave soon."

"Just another minute," he mumbled, voice tired and hoarse, as if he had been crying. Or screaming. Or both. "I need one more minute with her."

"Okay," Toph replied gently as she turned on her heel. "Okay. I'll be over there if you need me."

"Toph?"

She stopped and waited, heart seizing at the rawness of his voice.

"Just... one more minute."

"Alright."

As she walked away, she heard him sigh and turn back to the mound of dirt. Unfortunately for her, the wind died down and she could hear what he said this time.

"I'm sorry, Suki... I miss you so much... I wish it could be me in there instead of you... I love you."

By the time Sokka finally finished his goodbyes to Suki, his fingers coated in the dirt that had covered her grave, he meandered over to Toph with his head low. She frowned up at him, feeling the aching in his heartbeat. She hated that he was like this and that she had to feel his pain. Never before had she regretted learning the seismic sense from the badgermoles, just so she could be rid of the ache in her own heart at the sight of Sokka so broken.

"Let's go."

Without another word, he pushed past her and made his way down the mountain trail, his head turning back to get another fleeting glance at Suki's grave before it disappeared behind the bend and overhanging trees. She lingered behind him, feeling him slowly steady himself to face the citizens of Kyoshi and their friends, having been at Suki's grave since sunrise.

The sounds of the bustling village filled her ears and she was slightly relieved to be near some more chipper hearts. She remembered Oyaji saying something the day before, about how they had celebrated Suki's life instead of mourning it. It showed in the bustle of the village people, how they were still cheerful despite the loss. They were proud of the life Suki led, and although they had shown their sadness at her parting they were still living as if she was alive.

That wasn't something Sokka could do.

"Hey, Toph?"

She blinked away her thoughts and tried her best to point her face up at him. Hopefully she had done enough. "Yeah?"

She felt the warmness of a hand encompass hers followed by a quick squeeze and release. "Thanks for coming with me... I really needed that."

"Don't get all mushy on me," she replied, fighting the little flip her stomach did at the softness in his voice. He was going to be alright, in time. She could feel it, but it wouldn't be now. His heart was still pained with every beat, slow and broken. It would take a lot of time for him to heal.

As they approached the harbor, the distinct noises of Zuko's crew filling her ears, she noticed Sokka had quickened his steps and was already climbing the gang plank to the ship, passing Zuko and Hakoda without a single word.

"Is he alright?"

Toph sighed at the Chief's concerned tone, a little envious of it, and she shook her head. "Can't say. At least he's speaking now."

Hakoda sighed and patted her on the shoulder before silently making his way back to the ship behind his son.

"I suppose he's doing better than I would in this situation," Zuko mused with a tone of pity. "I probably would have barely gotten out of bed at this point."

"Sokka is strong," Toph started, but as soon as she heard his affronted _'hey!'_ she corrected, "I'm not saying you aren't, but he's experienced this before. He understands who we are and what we all stand for. We grew up in war, so we know what sacrifices have to be made and the losses we will suffer. He's already been dealt this hand, so he knows how to cope. Losing Suki is and will be harder for him because of how long they were together compared to him and Yue."

There was a pause, then a hand was placed on her shoulder. "How are you handling all of this?"

Toph snorted and crossed your arms. "I don't know what you're implying."

Zuko sighed and his hand gave her a small squeeze before he pulled it away. "Come on, Toph. You can talk to me about it."

She frowned and started making her way towards the ship herself, leaving the Fire Lord behind as she said over her shoulder, "There's nothing to talk about."

* * *

As soon as they cast off, Zuko holed himself up in his room. He had some Fire Lordy-things to take care of, such as starting the plans of reconstructing his city. Somehow he was going to have to figure out how to pay for the reparations, not to mention the supplementations that would have to go into effect for the people who lost their home or source of income due to the destruction.

After the fifth night on the sea, he was sure he was getting nowhere with the plans and based on the correspondence he was getting from Iroh, he wouldn't be able to until most of the rubble was removed and the true damage was stocked. So far, as least a quarter of Caldera had to be completely rebuilt, most of it the market district and the upper class residencies. Most of the other residential districts were only partially damaged, and thankfully the two hospitals in the city were both untouched. But the influx of homeless was on the rise and the pre-existing shelters in the city weren't able to take in all of the displaced citizens. Some are fortunate enough to own more than one home and will be able to leave, but those who could not were already starting to suffer. And it was only going to get worse now that winter was approaching a lot quicker this year.

His head was already starting to hurt.

There was a sharp knock on his door and Zuko whirled around to see Toph walking into his room, a furrow in her brow and a deep frown on her face.

"Hey, Toph."

She didn't reply. Instead she stomped over to his bed and all but threw herself onto the mattress.

"Is... something troubling you?"

"No."

"Then why did you barge in here like you own the place and then proceed to pout on my bed?"

She rolled over and buried her head in his pillow.

Zuko sighed and stood to make his way over to her. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to her, careful of the rocking ship, and he patted her head. "I have fire whiskey. We can drink it and talk about what's making you so cranky."

Muffled through the pillow, he could barely hear her say, "I'm not cranky, you're cranky."

"Alright, so I'll make tea then."

Immediately Toph sat up and stated, "No, whiskey is fine."

Zuko chuckled and reached under the bed, where a small case held a single bottle of fire whiskey and a cup. Zuko opened his mouth to tell Toph he'd go get her one, she grabbed the headboard of his bed and yanked off a scrap of metal, then formed it into a shoddy looking bowl-like thing. He scowled at her, in which she merely grinned in return, and he poured her the whiskey.

Once his own cup was filled, he sat back against the wall and took a long drink. He saw Toph had been nursing hers, apprehension clear on her face, and so he felt compelled to get her out of her shell.

"I still have nightmares," he supplied, causing her to move her face in his direction. "Sometimes it's my father, other times its Yura. Last night I dreamt about Hera succeeding in killing me and it had been me in Katara's and Sokka's arms, not Suki. I suppose they won't ever go away, so I acknowledge that they are there. That my fears are real and valid."

"I'm not scared or anything," Toph muttered before taking another drink. "I worried about Sokka. And about everything else."

"How so?"

"Yu Dao is destroyed, so is Caldera," she started as she started swirling whiskey in her cup. "Suki is dead and Sokka is suffering because of it. I have to go back to a completely desolate place I called home and try to rebuild what I lost. Sokka has to do the same thing with his life. Did you know he was going to propose to Suki on the Solstice?"

Zuko swallowed thickly and nodded. He had remembered when Sokka had come to him, right before he got kidnapped, and asked if he could take one of the sapphires out of the Royal Family's vault. When Zuko asked, Sokka played coy and said he was interested in making jewelry and wanted to try something. Unfortunately the Water Tribe man was horrible at keeping secrets, and Zuko quickly learned he was trying to make a pendant that Suki could wear under her armor, something that would make her his forever...

Now he had no one to give it to.

He sighed and finished off his cup, then immediately went to pour another.

"He told me he was going to spend the winter on Kyoshi Island while Suki took a vacation," Toph mumbled, voice already lofty from the alcohol. "She had planned on asking you on the Equinox but you had been kidnapped and she didn't want to abandon her post while you were still healing... Sokka wanted to marry her so bad..."

"And it makes you sad that he won't be able to."

"No," she immediately replied, then shook her head as she corrected, "Yes. Yes, I am sad for him. He loved her."

"And you love him, so it made you sad that he was going to marry someone else."

Toph chuckled bitterly and held out her cup for him to refill. As he poured it out, she said, "Yes... and I'm still sad. Suki was my friend, and I purposely tried to push away my feelings in respect to both of them."

Zuko snorted and replied, "I know the feeling."

Her grin was lopsided, but genuine as she said, "I'm sure you're familiar with it, but at least you know _your_ Sokka feels the same way about you. Mine might not ever. Now that Suki's gone, I feel like Sokka will never want someone like that."

"What makes you say that?"

She sighed and downed the whiskey in one gulp. She wiped her chin and tossed the cup into the corner. Zuko eyed it with annoyance before bringing his attention back to her and waiting. She played with the hem of her pants and shrugged before saying, "I need to be there for him as a friend. As much as it hurts me, he needs that more than anything right now. But I have to go back to Yu Dao and take care of my students and my home. I need that more, because I know it's going to take him a long time to get over Suki."

Zuko swirled the amber liquid in his glass before asking, "Do you want to be with him?"

Immediately, Toph shook her head and stood up. "It's not in the cards for us... I may care about him but I know I'll never be more for him. Especially not now."

At Zuko's confused silence, Toph sighed and made her way to the door. "He doesn't need a new love. He needs friends and family. I'll be who he needs me to be so he can heal and get back to normal."

Without waiting for Zuko to reply, she exited his room and closed his door with a quiet click. He finished off the rest of his glass before pushing it back into the small case and sliding it back under his bed. He sighed as he did so, feeling a pang of remorse for Toph. He had seen her affection for Sokka in the years he had known her, yet she had always pushed it to the side so he could be happy with Suki and to not ruin their impeccable friendship. She had always cared so much about him, but she never told him.

And now that the love of his life has died, she knew it was still right to keep it from him in his fragile state. Her selflessness knew no bounds, at least when it came to him. She had loved him so much and yet she denied it for his happiness.

"Foolish kid," he muttered to himself as he ambled back to his small desk and looked over his papers once more, trying to find his place.

Tomorrow they would be arriving back in the Fire Nation, where he would completely return to his throne and start the reparation process. He blinked at the paper in front of him and groaned as he stood and made his way back to the bed. He was definitely going to need more of that fire whiskey.

* * *

 _tbc._


	12. New Beginnings

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender._

 _ **A/N** This is it: the end of a saga. I'm trying to close any loose ends that could have been made throughout the story, so this chapter is going to be a little bit longer._

 _I would like to thank everyone who has stuck around and kept reading despite my sporadic updates and tribulations with life. I'd also like to thank Bryke for making me so spiteful that I wrote a two-part Zutara adventure that basically fixed all the crap they put us through._

 _So, without further ado, the conclusion of **Jagged Edge.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve: New Beginnings**

* * *

She sensed him before he made his presence verbally known. Her hands were trailing through the water of the pond- though not disturbing the ducklings swimming in it- as she felt him slowly approach her. His reflection in the water is distorted, but she can see the anguish on his face before she even turns to face him. When he kneels next to her, the only sound is from the rustling of his clothes and the crinkling of the grass beneath him.

"Hey, Princess."

She inwardly sighed at the use of her now-useless title and the emptiness in his voice. Though it could be expected, his distance and distracted attitude. Ever since he and the others returned to the Fire Nation from his girlfriend's funeral, he had holed himself up in his room, only opening his door for his family and Zuko. She hadn't even seen him since the battle in the city, so she knew how broken up he had been over the whole situation.

But she couldn't help but hope for him to be normal and call her by name like he always did before. "Hello, Sokka."

He was silent for a moment, and she could feel him watching her fingers as they stroked the pond.

"When I was a kid, Katara would do this with her bath water all the time," he murmured wistfully, a far off look in his eyes as he reminisced. "She would move the water back and forth as mom washed her hair. It was weird, seeing the water move so unnaturally." His fingers dipped into the water as well and he sighed, "When I teased her about it she would flick it at me, and almost half of her bath water would be on me instead of in the tub. Mom would scold her and then dry me off, but Katara would just giggle. When we were playing in the ocean on Ember Island and she did the same thing to me, Suki laughed so hard... I miss her laugh."

Azula finally turned to face him, frowning at his sad smile. "Are you okay?"

He glanced up at her, his lips pulling down into a frown. He broke their eye contact to stare down at the ducklings approaching him. "Not right now... but I will be, in time."

"It's alright to hurt," Azula replied, taking her hand out of the water and leaning back. "I wouldn't expect you to be fine, even in a while."

"You're right," Sokka stated, causing Azula to arch her eyebrow inquisitively. "It's just... I'm used to losing the ones I love. First my mom, then Yue, now Suki." He looked up to the sky as a breeze passed. Azula followed his gaze and saw the moon lingering, still there from the night before. Though, this time there was still a bright star shining right next to it. Sokka smiled and shrugged. "I guess it just means she's in a better place now."

"She would want you to be happy."

Sokka glanced at her from the side of his eye. "I know, but not yet. I can't be happy yet."

Azula scowled. "You can't base your happiness on whether or not your girlfriend is alive."

Sokka faced her fully, a half-hearted glare on his melancholy face. "I never said I did! I don't think I could let myself, even if I wanted to. It doesn't feel right without her."

She scoffed in return and flippantly waved her hand at him. "Whatever you tell yourself to go to sleep at night. I'm just saying you can't be mopey forever. You'll have to move on at some point in time."

Sokka was silent after her statement, and belatedly Azula wondered if she had been too hard on him. But right as she was about to muster up the courage to apologize- well, in her own way- Sokka spoke again.

"I just wish it wasn't her."

Azula blinked, but remained silent.

His gaze went back towards the sky, where the faded remnants of the moon were starting to disappear in the morning sun's light. "Maybe I'm cursed."

"You're not cursed," she blurted. Sokka looked at her from the side of his eye, as if he was waiting for her to continue. So she did. "People die. Especially during war. It happens. I know it sucks that people that you loved passed on, but you will learn to move on and love again. My doctor told me that holding onto the past just makes the wounds made there hurt even more. If you keep thinking about the bad things that have happened, you won't be able to see the good that are about to."

Sokka snorted and he turned his head fully towards her. "That was pretty wise, Princess."

"His words, not mine," she replied haughtily with a sniff. "What I'm trying to say is, grieve now but eventually you'll need to let it go. You can't hold onto the memory of her forever. You did with the first one, why should it be any different with the second?"

Sokka smiled wryly at her. "Are you trying to cheer me up?"

Azula felt her cheeks warm and she looked away, scowling as she did. "Absolutely not. Your depression is just annoying."

She heard him chuckle and mutter, "Sure thing."

They sat in silence for a little while longer, and Azula felt that wall she always kept up around everyone crumble just a little bit. Wasn't this something Zuko had tried to teach her? Be compassionate and empathetic to others? To help herself heal? Perhaps this is what he meant.

There was always something about Sokka that intrigued her, from the first time she saw him. And now, almost five years later, did she really see how much he had changed and grown. She had, as well, but his was to an extent that she couldn't truly put in words. He had lost so much, that she knew, and yet he was still so strong.

She envied that strength.

Maybe there was something about him that reached out to her, bringing her back to the calmness of sanity. He was the first to do so when they found her in the Earth Kingdom. Perhaps now she could help him like he helped her.

Tentatively, Azula reached over and placed her hand on top of his. She didn't look in his direction but she saw his head snap up and his eyes started to burn holes in the side of her head.

"It'll be okay," she repeated what had been told to her over and over again. "I promise."

Sokka flipped his hand over and squeezed hers softly. "Thank you, Princess."

"Azula," she said just as quietly as she turned to look him in the eyes. "Just Azula, okay?"

For the first time in a while, Azula saw Sokka's genuine smile. And for some reason, it took her breath away.

"Alright, Azula."

* * *

"So when are you leaving?"

Aang shrugged and took another sip of his tea. "Once Toph has finished packing and saying her good-byes. We were hoping to leave by sunset but she's been avoiding talking to Sokka before she leaves. They were supposed to go back to her metalbending academy but with everything that's happened, he's decided to go back to the South Pole with his father. So now it's just me and her..."

Zuko sighed and ran his finger along the lip of his cup. "Are you planning on rebuilding the temple? I know you had discussed moving to a more secluded place to train the acolytes."

"I suppose I could," Aang mused as he started pulling the tea out of his cup and weaving it around his fingers. "I think we can move north to where the city is going to be built. I felt a lot of good spiritual energy in that area, so it might be a good spot to roost the new generation of Air Nomads."

Zuko hummed and poured himself another cup. The silence between them stretched on for a few moments, Aang playing with his tea and Zuko drinking his. After a while, he sighed and set his cup down, fed up with the tension between them.

"Aang, look, I wanted to apologize for how I spoke to you on Kyoshi Island," he started as he caught the Avatar's eye. "I had been grieving and my anger about the whole situation was boiling over. For that, I am sorry."

Aang sighed as well and bent his tea back into his cup, then leaned forward as he said, "I accept your apology. But I have come to realize that your anger at me was justified. I had spoken about a tender subject and I said something that I immediately regretted."

Zuko frowned. "Though I feel like you're going to say you weren't wrong in your statement."

The Avatar shrugged and averted his eyes to the fire in the fireplace. "I wasn't going to. I thought about it a lot and I realized that keeping Ozai alive to preserve my own personal belief was damaging in the long run. To you and to your country. Sparing his life was a way to spare my own sanity, but I didn't think about yours. Ozai deserved to die, I know that now. His continued presence in this world has brought nothing but turmoil."

Zuko could see the lack of acceptance in Aang's statement, as if he was begrudgingly reciting a script.

"You don't truly believe that, do you?"

Aang's huff of breath was petulant at worst, frustrated at best. "Not at all. No one deserves to die, no matter what they've done. But I know that Ozai being alive has caused a lot of problems, and as the Avatar I have to set aside what I personally believe in order to keep balance. The world nearly tipped out of balance again because people wanted to put Ozai back on the throne and restart the war. You almost died because of those people. _I_ almost died. My personal beliefs outweighed my duty and we suffered the consequences for it."

Zuko couldn't help but snicker and say, "It's about time you suffered a consequence or two."

The pout on Aang's lips was childish, but it was in good humor. The Avatar chuckled and grabbed his cup of tea once more. "I'll have to learn at some point in time."

A shrug was all Zuko used as his reply. Instead he took another sip of his tea and sank deeper into the couch.

"So I do have a question for you."

Zuko's eyes flickered to Aang. "Hmm? And what's that?"

Aang fidgeted with the cup for a moment before setting it down again and taking a deep, steeling breath. "I talked to Katara..."

Zuko's breath lodged itself in his throat. "Yeah?"

"I basically told her that I let her go," Aang murmured, his eyes drifting back to the fire. "I know she won't love me the way I want her to, and I can't be there and create the life that she wants. She wants stability and freedom... I can't give her that if she's constantly in my shadow and always following what I want to do... I love her, and I always will. But I know there's someone out there that will make her happy in the way she deserves."

Zuko swallowed thickly and blinked heavily as Aang turned his eyes to him and showed him a wistful smile. "It's you."

"Uhh..."

"I know I was angry and accused her of loving you when we were still together," Aang started simply, "but I realized that in doing that I made the mistake of not trusting her and the friendship you two have. I know what something grew between you two while I was gone, but I can assure you that I don't blame you for us breaking up for good." He paused and sniffed, then said genuinely, "I know she truly loves you. And you love her back. What you guys share, it's hard _not_ to see now. There's always been a bond between you two and I think you both purposely pushed it to the side for what you thought was your duty..."

He snorted and shook his head. "I guess I should have taken a cue from you both and put my duty first for once."

"Aang-"

"No, I want you to listen to me," Aang cut in quietly, the wobble in his voice barely distinctive over the crackling of the fire. "I don't want you to apologize. You have no reason to. She is such a wonderful person, and she deserves the whole world."

"I can only hope that I can give that to her," Zuko couldn't help but say. When Aang didn't speak, he continued, "I don't know what happened either, it just flicked on for me like a fire. I've cared about her for a long time, and as we've grown she and I have only gotten closer. It just hit me suddenly... I really didn't mean for anything to happen by it."

"It's hard not to fall in love with her," Aang mused, his lips pulling up at the corners.

"No, it's not," Zuko murmured to himself. His eyes dropped to his empty cup and he smiled. "Are you essentially giving me your blessing to love her?"

"More or less," Aang chuckled. "Though it's not my place. Katara is her own person and can make her own decisions. Had I realized that earlier we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Then I am thankful for your oblivious nature," Zuko quipped with a smirk. Aang met his eyes and they both started laughing, as if nothing had changed between them since before the kidnapping.

Not long after Aang was excusing himself from the room, claiming he needed to tend to Appa before the journey back to Yu Dao. Zuko left not long after and made his way to the training grounds, where he knew a particular earthbender would be burying her feet. He stepped outside and was greeted with the chills of the winter winds, bringing forth the beginning of a new season. He tugged his cape around his shoulders a little tighter, forgoing his normal firebreaths to warm him, and he made his way to the training grounds.

Upon reaching the open courtyard, Zuko spotted Toph and Azula sparring, both dressed in clothes not suitable for the weather but he figured since Azula was using her firebending the arena was already too hot for anything other than a shirt and pants. He was, unfortunately, correct, because when he reached the perimeter of the sparring ring he was already starting to sweat under his heavy cloak and long-sleeved tunic.

Azula was springing off of a pillar Toph erected, soaring into the air and flipping with a stream of blue fire trailing behind her heel. She landed in a crouch, her foot having slammed into the ground where Toph had been standing a millisecond before. The eartbender in question had sank beneath the dirt like it was water, disappearing entirely from view. Azula straightened up, her keen eyes flickering around the arena before pinning themselves on a small divot in the ground.

Right as she raised her arms to attack, Toph sprung out of the ground like a mole and launched her back into the air. Zuko was more than impressed by both of their agility and tact. In fact, based on the destruction throughout the entire arena and the mere temperature of the surrounding area, he was certain they had been going a lot longer than he first assumed.

The moment Azula landed on the ground like a feral cat, Toph whistled and gestured against her throat. "We're done! Sparky's here."

Azula finally acknowledged her brother's presence with a sneer. "I was going to win."

"You keep telling yourself that, babe," Toph taunted as she strutted over to her towel and water skin. Zuko bent over and picked up Azula's, handing it to her wordlessly as she stalked past him and stomped back up to the palace.

"She's getting a lot better," Toph mused, bringing his focus back down to her. "These sparring sessions really help her release her frustrations with everything. Typically she comes to me when she's in a bad mood. We fight for a few hours, then she goes back inside and is totally calm again."

"Are you suggesting I spar with her to help her?" Zuko asked.

Toph shrugged and started making her way up to the palace like Azula had. "Probably. Now that you can bend again I think it would be beneficial for both of you. She's still as skilled as she was when we fought her in the war. But her control is lacking. That's what you have. And you can learn some moves and maybe even how to lightning bend, if she lets you."

"Perhaps."

"You may not realize it, but you guys need each other," Toph commented. Zuko stared down at her, perplexed at her insight, and she elaborated casually, "There's something about her that has changed. Especially since we brought her back here. Before she was unstable and slithery, now she's calmer and warmer. I don't know if it's you, or something else. But she certainly needs someone on her side when she has a rough day. And that should be you."

Zuko sighed, "I suppose you're right. She is very different from who ran away in Hira'a... It almost reminds me of how she was before our father became Fire Lord."

They reached Toph's room and she whirled on her heels, facing him completely. "I'll miss you, Zuko. I'll try to come visit once my school is back up and running."

Zuko grinned and patted her on the head. "I'll look forward to seeing you around. And just a little bit of advice: hang in there. We'll all be okay in a while. I promise."

Toph's smirk was sardonic as she replied, "That's the thing, Sparks: I don't think it ever will be. With who we are and how the world is, we will always live our lives on this jagged edge of peace and war. Sacrifices will be made, victories will be won, and every once in a while it will feel like we have no way to pick ourselves up. But in the end, it will end up good enough to trudge along to the next obstacle. I know I'll be alright, and you'll be alright... Sometimes things need to be a little jagged in order to remind us that we're still here, that we can still feel. There's no use in living like we're dying if there's so much to just _live_ for. And for me, that's enough to get me through these tough times."

A proud curl found itself on Zuko's lips. "Uncle would have been starry eyed if he heard you say that."

Toph shrugged with one shoulder and opened her door. "When you stick around him long enough, it tends to wear on you."

* * *

When Sokka heard the three raps on the door, he expected his sister or Aang. However, when he swung it open to reveal a damp-haired Toph, saying he was surprised was an understatement. She had practically disappeared since they left Suki's grave, so having her come to him right before she left the Fire Nation with Aang was a little unexpected.

"Hey, Toph. What's going on?"

She lifted up her arm, revealing a comb in her hand, and she simply said, "Brush my hair for me."

"Uh... sure?"

She pushed past him and made her way over to the couch in front of the fireplace. He followed her in, closing the door behind him and plodding over to the couch where she was already waiting for him, feet off the floor and tucked under her. He frowned when he noticed that. Toph _never_ removed her connection with the earth unless something was wrong or she didn't want to sense the things around her. He hoped it was the latter.

He sat behind her and began tugging out the knots near her waist, slowly pushing the comb through the tresses, and he waited. She would talk when she was ready.

"I'm sorry."

He stilled his hand and immediately replied, "For what?"

"For avoiding you."

Sokka frowned and started combing her hair again. "I didn't know that was deliberate."

Toph turned her head slightly so he could see the side of her face as she replied, "I figured you needed some space, but as I thought more about it I realized you probably needed someone to lean on more than anything, so I'm sorry for not being that person for you when you needed me."

Sokka sighed and he swept her hair off of her shoulder. "I usually say don't assume what I do and don't need, but I can't entirely say you're wrong."

"Huh?"

He patted the top of her head before he smoothed out her strands and started braiding them. "I don't know exactly what I need to cope. I figured going back home with my family would help, so I thought you were mad that I wasn't going to be going back to Yu Dao with you..."

"I'm not."

"I know. You don't get mad _that_ easily."

He saw her eyes soften and her shoulders relax. "Not at you, at least."

He felt himself smile and he undid the braid he just finished to do a different one. "I think what I need is to distract myself... Before, she was busy a lot protecting Zuko so I didn't see her as much as I'd like, but we kept in touch with letters and I'd come see her every once in a while... Now I don't have that... It's hard to figure out what to do with myself."

"You can always write to me," Toph suggested quietly.

His fingers stopped the plaiting and he glanced over her shoulder at her meek face. "Toph, you can't read the letters."

He saw her lips pull into a frown and she huffed, "I was just trying to help."

"I know, and I appreciate it," he replied gently. He ignored the way her cheeks had turned pink and the frown tilted up at the corner into a thoughtful smile. "I think being at home and figuring out my next step will be the best I can do for myself."

"Have you thought about going with Katara on her little journey?"

Sokka tied off her hair with his own leather strap and he tugged on the braid. "She needs to go on her own, just like I do. It wouldn't be beneficial to either of us if I tagged along. She needs to be alone. Just like I do, too."

"But you don't have to be." Toph turned around so her body was facing his. Her frown was deep as she said, "Don't make yourself hurt as punishment."

"I'm not trying to punish myself," he murmured. He saw her fidget and place her foot on the ground to steady herself as he added, "I think I need to distract myself, that's all. I can do that at home with my family while I figure everything else out."

Her frown remained as she stood and said, "Don't dwell on it too much, okay? The world needs you just as much as it needs Zuko and Aang and Katara and me. _We_ need you. I don't want you getting lost to the thought of being alone. You don't have to do that to yourself."

She didn't let him reply as she passed and went to the door. Silently, she opened it and left, leaving him alone on the couch with her comb still in his hand.

* * *

Katara had been fidgeting in her spot when Toph emerged from the palace to the stables where Aang and Appa were waiting for her. The air was ripe with the smell of animals and hay, a reminder to Toph of wilderness and freedom. Not that she didn't mind the smell of the palace, but there was only so much of spices and jasmine that she could take without yearning for the smell of dirt.

"Are you sure you don't need me to look at that wound again?"

"No, I'm sure. I don't need you wasting your energy on me."

Toph frowned at Aang's awkward heartbeat, but she couldn't pay it any mind. From the other side of Appa, she had noticed Sokka had started approaching her and she knew he wanted to finish talking about what she had said last night. Unfortunately.

"Hey."

She dug her toe into the ground and took a deep breath. "Hey."

"Are you all ready to go?" he asked, his voice steady and warm. There was still something about the way he spoke, as if he was hesitant and uneasy, but he still sounded as if he was back to normal.

She shrugged and tugged on the strap of her bag. "As ready as I'll ever be. I'm really not looking forward to assessing the damage from the bombs, but I'll have to at some point in time."

Sokka shuffled on his feet and he put his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fine. With all of the people wanting to join your school, I'm sure a little property damage won't scare them away."

A smirk bloomed on her lips as she replied, "If international terrorists didn't do it, I think you'll be right."

"I'm always right, let's be honest."

"Sure thing."

There was a long pause and she could tell he was looking at her. It made her chest hurt with the knowledge of his pain, regardless of how well he was handling and hiding it. In fact, his heartbeat ached just as much now as it did when they left Kyoshi. She truly hated feeling him like this.

"Before I forget," he started as he dug into his pocket. He took her hand with his free one and made her open her palm. When she was about to ask what he was doing, he placed a small bag in her hand. Her fingers fumbled with it, opening the silky tie and pulling out what had been inside. She narrowed her eyes when she felt the teeth of the comb she had brought into his room the night before, but then her fingers brushed against something else.

"I had some leftover from the necklace I was making for Suki..."

Toph's chest tightened at the sound of her name. That was the first time she had heard him say it since they left her grave.

"I thought you would have liked some of it."

Her lips pulled up at the corners and she pulled out the little earring. Her fingers traced the jagged surface of the stone, and she figured it was a raw gem. Without thinking, she tilted her chin up at him and asked, "Just one?"

She could feel his demeanor drop and he replied quietly, "I only had enough for one... The rest is with Suki."

"Oh."

"But I thought about how I gave you some space metal after I forged my sword," he added quickly, as if to move past the mention of his dead girlfriend, "and I thought you would have liked this, too. Zuko let me have a huge gem from his vault and I knew it would be interesting for you to work with. It's a mineral so it would be manipulated differently than normal earth, so I-"

"Sokka."

She could literally hear his jaw snap shut and she almost laughed.

"I love it. Thank you."

There was a quick sigh of relief. "Good. I figured you would. I thought it would have been a good apology gift for not going with you."

"Sokka, I understand why you aren't," she said simply. She noticed his heart's beating eased a little and it made her smile. "It's not like I need you around all the time. I can always have The Dark One do my paperwork until I can hire someone else to do it full time. You need some time off."

She couldn't see it, but she figured he was smiling when he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. Her face was pressed up against his chest, surrounding her with his familiar and welcome scent of leather and pipe smoke. She sighed into him and clutched against his back while he propped his chin on the top of her head.

"I'll try to come by before the Spring Festival," he stated. "I can write to Aang and let him know what's going on."

"Alright."

"And don't go making awesome plans for your school without letting me know first," he added with a haughty chuckle. "You know I would have the best ideas for you."

Toph didn't say anything. Instead she pulled out of the hug, a little regretfully, and pushed back the tears that were starting to prickle in her eyes. Sokka patted her on the shoulder one last time before going over to Aang and practically tackling him. Toph felt Katara make her way over in his stead, then her arms were wrapping around her in a warm hug.

She smelled like Zuko.

The earthbender snorted, causing Katara to tug on a loose lock of hair. "What's so funny?"

"Absolutely nothing."

Katara was quiet for a moment, tightening her arms before letting Toph go. "I'll miss you. Don't get into too much trouble."

"You say that like _I'm_ the one who attracts problems, not your new boyfriend."

Katara's heart rate picked up, causing Toph to laugh again. Oh, how she was going to miss messing with those Water Tribe fools. But this wasn't going to be a long term good-bye. She knew they would all be reuniting for sure at the Harmony Summit next summer, so only eight months of being apart wasn't going to kill them. Besides, Katara needed to be off on her own, just like Sokka needed to go home and heal with his family.

Toph figured they were all making the right decisions for themselves.

"Are you ready to go, Toph?"

She sighed and hoisted her bag higher on her shoulder. "As ready as I'll ever be."

With a little help from his airbending, Aang took her hand and launched them both into Appa's saddle. Too soon the air bison was kicking off and soaring into the skies, the sounds of Sokka's and Katara's shouts of farewell quickly getting lost in the wind.

Toph settled against the lip of the saddle and sighed. Off on another adventure...

"Are you alright?"

She immediately shrugged and fiddled with Sokka's gift again. "No... but I don't have the luxury of moping about it. There's nothing I can do about it."

"Toph..." She felt him sit next to her and take her free hand. "You can let it out here, where no one else can see you."

"Shouldn't you be doing the same thing?" she shot back, fighting the onset of tears again as she pulled her hand out of his. "You have no room to talk about letting it out."

Aang sighed and he leaned against the saddle, his shoulder brushing hers, and he said, "I know... but you're right: there's nothing we can do about it. Fate does funny things, and half of the time they aren't the things we want. But we can't change the way of the world. Destiny has a way of revealing itself, once you open your eyes."

"Or feet."

The Avatar snickered and knocked his shoulder into hers. "Or feet. Alright?"

"Alright."

"Let's get home and start rebuilding. Spirits know it's not just the buildings that need some repair."

Silently, Aang stood and went back to Appa's head. With a sigh, Toph trailed her finger over the earring one last time before bringing it up to her earlobe and sliding it into place. As her finger trailed against the rugged surface, a small smile made its way onto her lips. Perhaps there wasn't as much reconstruction needed as she originally thought.

* * *

Not too long after Katara and Sokka waved goodbye to Toph and Aang, a servant found them and said that Fire Lord Zuko was desiring Katara's presence.

As she expected, she found Zuko in his study, writing something down on a scroll as his steward hovered over his shoulder. There was agitation clear on his face, yet he did not say a word as he wrote. She entered quietly, despite Zuko authorizing her coming in, and she waited by the chair in front of his desk. Neither men looked up from the scroll and their concentration was almost comical, at least until the steward pointed something out on the page and Zuko glared up at him.

"That's how you spell it, Fuji."

At Katara's giggle, both men snapped their stares at her and she waved sheepishly. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

"Of course not," Zuko dismissed in a warm tone as he stood. He glanced at Fuji and added quickly, "That's enough for now. We will finish this later."

"But, Your Majesty-"

" _Later._ "

Fuji glanced at Katara, his hazel eyes sizing her up before he sighed and gave his Fire Lord a bow. "Of course, Fire Lord. I will return after supper so we can finish."

"Thank you."

Fuki whisked himself away, pardoning himself as he passed Katara and exited the office with speed that rivaled an airbender's. Katara rose her eyebrow at Zuko once the door was closed and smirked. "What word did he think you spelled wrong?"

Zuko sighed and slouched down into his chair. "Your name."

Her cheeks felt a little warm. "My name? What on earth are you writing that is including my name?"

Zuko beckoned her over and she quickly strode to his side. He scooted his chair back and patted his leg - offering her a seat - and her heart quickened. She cleared her throat, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed at the gesture, and awkwardly sat herself down on the edge of his thigh. Zuko gently placed his hands on her hips and hoisted her into a more comfortable position - which made her yelp indignantly - and he pushed the scroll over so she could read it better.

"It's a letter to the mayors in the Fire Nation, and this one over here is to the leaders around the world," he started as he gestured to the other scroll on his desk, voice sounding a little tight and rough. "It's explaining what had happened in the past few months, as well as informing them of the Xi Lang's and New Ozai Society's henceforth persecution by a mandated announcement from the Avatar. We're not going to risk another attack like this, so showing unity in the face of this adversity, as well as making mention of the losses from both sides can show how much the Fire Nation has changed since the war."

The far off look in Zuko's eyes made Katara's heart ache. There were scars for him that will never heal, and the depth of the loss of Suki hurt him more than Katara truly could comprehend. She knew it would take time for him to adjust to the burden, as well as the pain from the past months of torture and fear. For now, all he could do was put on a strong farce for his people and for the other world leaders.

"So why is my name on this?" she asked while peering down at the scroll's words.

Zeko cleared his throat and his hand timidly settled on her waist. "Well, Fuji and I decided to mention the people responsible for freeing me and ending this conflict, so you are listed first along with Aang. Getting the people of the Fire Nation to become aware of your name and your feats will make it easier for them to accept our courtship should we decide to announce it. Well... that is, if you'd have me."

Katara hummed in thought, and Zuko must have seen some conflict on her face because he took her chin and directed her face to be level with his.

"I promise, I won't let the ingrained bias of some of my people come between us," he vowed, his eyes burning with the truth of his words. "There are many changes that are happening around the world, and they will have to accept that the nations are starting to blend. It will be hard, considering the almost fanatical ideals around pure blood in this country, but I am willing to make the first step towards the changes needed in order for my people to move on from the war, including being okay with their Fire Lord marrying the Southern Water Tribe Princess who happens to be a Master Waterbender."

Her gaze darted back and forth between his eyes, finally setting on the forever-squinted left, and she replied, "I believe you."

He smiled, a radiant rarity, and murmured, "I love you."

A warm feeling glowed in her chest and Katara leaned in to kiss him tentatively on the lips. This was the first time they had kissed since their first one in the woods, and the first time he had freely said those words to her without it being in a confession. Never before had her heart reacted when someone said that to her, and it thrilled her knowing that Zuko had this effect on her.

After she pulled away, she grabbed the hand holding her chin and weaved their fingers together. "So what now?"

"What do you mean?"

She smiled and shrugged. "What are we going to do now that there isn't an international terrorist group trying to kill us all? I figured you would go back to ruling like you did before, but..."

A knowing look crossed his face and Zuko said, "You're wondering what _you_ should do."

Katara gave him an unsure nod.

"I'm not expecting you to stay here," he replied simply. She arched her eyebrow in confusion and Zuko grinned as he elaborated, "I was going to suggest that you go back to what you had planned to do before this whole debacle: travel the world, find yourself... Then come back to me like you promised."

Her cheeks felt hot as she said, "I never _promised_ I would come back to you."

His grin grew. "Not out loud, but I knew you were going to."

"I'm sure."

Zuko winked and returned his attention to the scrolls in front of him, his face sobering. "I mean it. If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

Katara's heart fluttered with affection and she cupped his cheek. His eyes met hers once more and she smiled. "Are you sure?"

He nodded and the earnest look in his eyes took her breath away. "I won't keep you from doing what you want with your life. I know you'll come back to me, when you're ready."

She leaned in and kissed him again, capturing his lips with hers as her fingers slid into his loose hair. Like their first kiss, this one exhilarated her all the way down to her toes, giving her a thrill deep in her belly and warming her chest. He hummed into her mouth and wrapped his arms around her waist, turning her so she was facing him completely. Her legs straddled his hips and Katara smiled as his hands held her lovingly.

He broke the kiss too soon, smiling up at her, and he added, "If you keep doing that then I'll change my mind and never let you leave me ever again."

Katara giggled and nuzzled her face against his neck as she hugged him tightly. "I promise I'll come back to you."

Zuko sighed and pressed his cheek against the crown on her head. "I'll hold you to it. If you don't, I'll come find you."

As she sighed and melted into the hug, Katara knew that he wasn't lying. This was Zuko, and no matter what he kept his word.

* * *

Katara stared out towards the sea, the reflection of the sun twinkling like diamonds on the distant waves as it rose up over the horizon. Today, she was leaving the Fire Nation with her father and brother to start her journey of self-discovery. Today, she would be leaving Zuko.

She sighed and fiddled with the dagger he gave her - _"In case of a bending-less emergency",_ he insisted. Frankly, she was mostly nervous about going out on her own. She had never been truly alone in her whole life, and now she was willingly going to travel the whole world to discover new things, learn more about herself, gain the experiences she had yearned for as a child... She was thrilled, truly, but it was a daunting thought in general.

"I thought waterbenders avoided sunrises."

Katara turned to see Azula standing by the curtains of the balcony, her face blank but her bright eyes curious.

"As your brother once told me, we rise with the moon," Katara remarked wistfully, "And you firebenders rise with the sun."

"A flare for the dramatic," Azula stated as she approached her and leaned against the rails. "But he's not wrong."

Katara merely shrugged and her thumbs drummed against the handle of the dagger again. "I suppose I'm just anxious. I've never traveled by myself. This will be the first time I've ever really been alone."

"It's good to know how to do it," Azula replied. When Katara met her eyes, she continued, "Being on my own after running away really cleared my head. I think it made me get a sense of clarity and self-awareness I couldn't get in the psycho home or in the palace."

"That's all I can hope for," Katara whispered. She looked back to the rising sun and sighed, "I'm hoping to figure out what my purpose in this world is. All I've known is helping people and following what someone else wanted to do."

"Well, now all you need to do is listen to yourself."

Katara watched Azula's lips curl into a soft smile, the most genuine thing she had ever seen on the Princess's face. It warmed Katara more than she expected, and she smiled in return as they both silently brought their attention to the sun in the east.

"You know, I thought Zuko would have been a lot more messed up after this whole thing, but it seems your presence has really helped him."

That smile on Azula's face grew and she added, "Well, enough where he's not _completely_ freaking out all the time."

"You really think so?"

Azula nodded and picked something off of the rails. "You're good for him. As much Mai loved him, she could never make him happy. But you do. I've never seen him smile so much, even before everything..."

Katara's cheeks warmed and she tucked the dagger into her belt. "I'm glad you approve-"

A short airy laugh left the Princess and she rolled her eyes. "Don't think this makes you special to me."

"I didn't," Katara said with a grin. "I'm just glad someone cares about his happiness."

Azula's eyes shot to hers and she frowned. "Don't you dare tell anyone."

"Cross my heart."

"Good. Because I don't want him getting all sappy on me. It doesn't work for us."

"Clearly."

Azula sniffed and her eyes darted to where Katara had tucked the dagger in her belt. "You know, Uncle Iroh gave that to him almost a decade ago..."

Katara's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really?"

"I'm surprised he still had it. You must be really special if he's giving it to _you_."

Katara smirked and she couldn't help but reply, "Jealous?"

"Absolutely not," Azula huffed, a small blue flame curling out with her breath. "I'm just stating the fact that you both need to dial down the sappiness. It's disgusting."

"I know you like me," Katara giggled, causing Azula to halfheartedly glare at her, "so don't act like you don't. You said yourself that I'm good for him."

"Doesn't mean I like you."

"Sure thing, Azula." Katara paused, watching Azula's face soften out of the glare and her shoulders to relax. "Besides, I could say you're doing the same thing for Sokka."

Immediately, Azula's cheeks gained a dusting of pink.

Katara smiled and continued, "He's been out and about in the palace, coming to talk to me and having tea with Zuko... It didn't start until after I found him leaving the garden with you."

"He helped me when I was struggling with coming back to the palace," Azula said stiffly. "He's treated me like... like a friend. And not the kind that I want something from or they want something from me... He's genuinely nice to me. And seeing him hurt hurts me, too."

The wind displaced Azula's cropped hair, pushing it around as if it was dancing on her shoulders, and Katara noticed the far off look in the Princess's eyes as she bit her lip and ducked her chin to her chest.

"I suppose being a friend for him is what he needs right now."

"He's got a big heart," Katara commented, noticing the way Azula took a deep breath and her gaze grew fond. "He'd be so happy knowing that you consider him a friend. We all had our misgivings about you from the war, especially him, but we know that you have the potential to be good, just like Zuko did when he first joined us. It was that thought that he volunteered to help you when you got back here."

Azula sniffed again and stood up, her eyes averted from Katara, and she said, "I'll try not to disappoint him."

As she walked back inside, Katara saw a glimpse of the small smile on her lips.

* * *

"I'm going to miss you, buddy."

Zuko smiled and squeezed his friend a little tighter before patting him on the back. "You'll be back here in a few months for the Spring Festival, Sokka. It's not like we'll never see each other again."

Sokka pulled away from the hug and shot him a bashful grin as he patted him on the shoulder and walked away. Zuko's eyebrow rose when he headed straight to Azula and started talking to her in a low, intelligible murmur.

"Incredible, isn't it?" a familiar voice said from his side.

Zuko shook his head in disbelief. "If I didn't see it myself, I wouldn't believe it."

"She thinks very highly of him. I'm glad she has found a friend she can rely on."

Zuko smiled at the soft look Azula gave Sokka and decided it was best to give them some privacy. He turned towards Katara and placed his hand between her shoulder blades as he steered her away. "She told me that after you found her, he was the one who kept her company and helped her get readjusted to life here. She's thankful for his friendship."

Katara hummed and wove her fingers between his. "I guess they both need someone to lean on right now."

"I suppose so."

Chuckles vibrated in his chest and Katara glanced up at him with a strange look. Without saying anything, he kissed her on the crown of her head and hugged her a little closer. They reached the dock next to the Fire Nation-style ship they would be using on their journey home. Zuko was pleased to see that Hakoda was speaking with Iroh and Ursa, pleasant smiles on all of their faces.

"...a remarkable thing, don't you think?"

Hakoda's eyes found the young couple and Zuko saw a warm smile stretch on his lips. "Yes, I believe so."

Katara squeezed Zuko's hand and ducked away from his arm to go to her father. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, while Hakoda returned the embrace and tucked her head under his chin. Zuko watched raptly - and a little enviously - as he went to stand by his uncle and mother. A heavy hand was slapped on his shoulder and he turned to see Sokka and Azula had joined them, as well.

"I guess this is it," Sokka said, his voice a little rough and a wobbly smile on his lips, but the most normal he had sounded in weeks. "I'll miss you guys."

Zuko smiled and patted Sokka on the back. He turned to Hakoda and outstretched his hand, which was gladly clasped against Hakoda's forearm in a strong grip.

"We will see each other again," the Chieftain replied, "for these are never permanent farewells."

"Be sure to write," Azula said to Sokka, who smiled at her with a strange fondness that Zuko had only seen on his face a few sparse times.

"Of course."

"You, too, waterbender."

Katara grinned. "I guess I can do that for you."

Zuko met her eyes and suddenly the realization of her departure came crashing down on him. Her standing there, blue eyes glittering with love as they stared back at him, warm smile adorning her slim face, and Zuko lost his breath.

"Chief Hakoda, why don't I walk you up to your ship?" Iroh said from Zuko's side. "I would like to show you the new additions that we added just for the Southern Water Tribe. I'm certain you will enjoy these features tremendously."

Hakoda looked at Iroh strangely for a split second, then he nodded and patted Katara on the head before following Iroh up the gangplank. Ursa snuck around Zuko's back and started leading Azula down the dock towards the carriage that was to take the royal family back to the palace.

Zuko was thankful for their consideration, and right as he was about to start speaking to Katara, Sokka clasped his hand on their shoulders and said in a completely flat tone, "Keep it short, lovers. We have a tide to catch."

Katara groaned and shook her head and Zuko could only glare at his snickering friend as he bounded up the gangplank behind his father. Silence stretched on for a few seconds before Zuko turned back to Katara and smiled at her.

"So, this is it."

She smiled sadly and took his hands in hers. "For now. I'll be back."

Zuko brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I will miss you terribly."

"I'll miss you, too."

Another kiss. "Write when you can."

"Of course."

A smirk against her skin. "Visit if you want."

"Definitely."

Zuko met her eyes and he pressed one last kiss to her fingers. "I love you."

Her cheeks reddened and she bit her trembling lip. "I love you, too."

Without another word, Zuko pulled her against his chest and held her close, face pressed against her hair and one hand cupping her head while the other was wrapped around her back. Katara clutched his shirt, face nuzzled against his neck, and she sighed. They stood in each others arms for what felt like an eternity, time slowed as they embraced, and Zuko prayed that this moment would never end.

The sound of the ship's horn shook them apart, and Zuko glared up at the offending noise before turning his attention back to the waterbender in his arms. She was giggling, eyes bright and shining as they met his. Despite his irritation, Zuko grinned back at her and leaned down to kiss her soundly on the lips. She sighed against him, melting into his touch, and her hands found his chest once more. Zuko tilted his head to deepen it just enough to satisfy him until she returned, but another blaring blast of the horn made them both jump and break the kiss.

"Oh, come _on!_ "

Katara's giggles echoed all around him and he was pleased to see her like this one last time, smiling brightly and her eyes glittering with mirth. As her laughter died down, she stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips one last time before breaking away and grabbing her bag from the dock.

"Good-bye, Zuko."

As she walked backwards up the gangplank, Zuko took a deep breath and placed his hand over his heart. "I'll be seeing you, Katara."

She returned the gesture, her hand laying delicately over her own heart, and she then blew him a kiss as she reached the deck of the ship and headed towards her brother and father on the bow. Zuko could see Iroh reach out and hug her one last time before descending the gangplank, which was then lifted up and stowed onto the ship as soon as the Dragon of the West stepped onto the dock.

The ship's horn blared one last time before the ship started to move away from the dock and towards the Bay of Sozin. Zuko kept staring up at the ship, where Katara was standing next to her brother and father, all three of them waving as they moved farther and farther away. Zuko's heart ached, but he knew this was only a bittersweet goodbye for now. He would see them again.

When the ship was starting to shrink, Zuko saw a large tendril of water get shot into the air, exploding into thousands of water droplets and icicles that shimmered in the winter sun. His heart flared with love and immediately he gathered his fire into his fist and shot a blaze into the sky, lighting up the entire port with colorful flames that danced like fireworks.

A fitting farewell for his friends.

Too soon, the ship was gone over the horizon, and Zuko was once more alone.

"Let us return to the palace, Fire Lord Zuko," Iroh said from his side. "We have much work to do."

Zuko smiled and slid his hand into his pocket, where he fiddled with the uncut gem inside. He grinned and nodded, then turned on his heel and began following his uncle to the carriage. "Yes, we do."

* * *

 _fin._

* * *

 _ **A/N** Again, I wanted to thank everyone who stuck around for the two long years it took me to write this story. I know it's been a wild ride but I am so glad it is over. I have decided to retire as a fanfiction writer, so this will be the last fanfiction that I will be writing for a long time. I hope you guys enjoy my last hurrah!_

 _With much love, I hope you attend well._

 ** _Pearlynn_**


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